


This would take some getting used to

by Codango



Series: It's a little miraculous [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Funny, Hiding, Hiding in Plain Sight, Identity Reveal, Rating for Language, Secret Crush, Secret Identity, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-04-29 12:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5127806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Codango/pseuds/Codango
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien peeked out from behind the chimney even as the magic of his own Chat Noir mask fell away.</p><p>She was still visible, her dark hair bobbing under the street lamps a couple blocks away.</p><p>“Marinette.”</p><p>Adrien blew out a confused breath. His fiery Ladybug… was the quiet little mouse who sat behind him in class?</p><p>“What. The.”</p><p>This… would take some getting used to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ninjakins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninjakins/gifts).
  * Translation into Русский available: [С этим нужно будет свыкнуться](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5935858) by [timmy_failure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/timmy_failure/pseuds/timmy_failure)



> This was written in response to a Five-Minute writing challenge that ninjakins put to me. My five minutes were up after this line:  
> "Forgetting that Ladybug was still out there. Somewhere."
> 
> ...  
> And so I kept going for a bit. Because I didn't know that I barely write 115 words in five minutes, apparently.

Adrien wished, for pretty much the first time ever, that he sat behind Marinette instead of in front of her.

He’d never cared, never thought about their seating arrangement in class before today. Before twenty-three minutes ago, to be precise. But now all he wanted to do was bore holes into the back of her head with his eyes.

He’d seen her.

Last night.

It had been an accident. Really!

He and Ladybug had gone their separate ways after a routine patrol of the city. All perfectly normal. But then Adrien had remembered that his new ad was out on a billboard a few blocks away, and he’d changed course. Forgetting that Ladybug was still out there. Somewhere.

Except, suddenly she wasn’t out there somewhere. She was right below him, skirting behind a kiosk, a glow of light just starting to envelop her.

 _Look away!_ his mind screamed at him. Except he didn’t. It was too fast. He was too surprised. It was too sudden. He hadn’t known. He couldn’t have expected. She was _right in front of him what could he have done really._ And then…

“Marinette?!”

His black-haired classmate, the shyest girl he knew, cocked her head at the faint sound, and Adrien had to duck behind a chimney, slapping a black-gloved hand over his mouth. He had stayed still as stone until he heard her pad away. She was probably going home. To her parents’ bakery. That wasn’t too far from their school. The school they went to together. Where they sat just one row apart.

Adrien  peeked out from behind the chimney even as the magic of his own Chat Noir mask fell away. She was still visible, her dark hair bobbing under the street lamps a couple blocks away.

“Marinette.”

Adrien blew out a confused breath. His fiery Ladybug… was the quiet little mouse who sat behind him in class?

“What. The.”

This… would take some getting used to.

* * *

 

 “You’re not at your computer,” Plagg observed.

“Mmf.”

Adrien was, in fact, lying morosely on his bed, staring out the enormous bank of windows on the far wall of his room.

“I comment on the fact merely to point out that you are, as it were, a creature of routine.”

Adrien blew out an annoyed sigh.

“And at this hour, it is customary to find you checking your friend’s LadyBlog,” Plagg continued.

“Plagg…” Adrien’s tone brooked caution.

“Alya always updates right after school.”

“Plagg!” Adrien sat up and grabbed his pillow threateningly. “I’m thinking.”

Plagg raised an eyebrow. “Dear me.”

The pillow launched. Plagg avoided it easily.

“Ugh,” Adrien groaned feelingly. “I found out who Ladybug is.”

Plagg fell out of the air.

“Ah.” The little black cat spirit coughed delicately into his paw. “And she is…?”

Adrien looked down at his hands in his lap.

“You, ah, don’t seem to be as… as _thrilled_ as I expected you would be,” Plagg offered hesitantly. “Good heavens, who did Tikki pick this time?”

Adrien’s head shot up. “Who’s Tikki?” he asked sharply.

Plagg’s neon green eyes went wide. “Ah! Ahahaha. Yes. Tikki! Um. I… I don’t suppose I’ve ever mentioned her before?”

Adrien stood and walked over to where Plagg fluttered in the air just above his desk. “No. No, I don’t believe you ever mentioned that you know Ladybug’s kwami _personally_.”

“Oh, have you met?” Plagg asked weakly.

“Tikki _is_ Ladybug’s kwami. Right? That’s who you’re talking about.”

“Look, Adrien—”

Adrien groaned. “I cannot believe you! Have you known who Ladybug is all this time too?!”

“The idea!” Plagg crossed his tiny arms, affronted. “I still don’t know who she is, because you still haven’t told me, as you may recall! Tikki and I make it a point to never tell each other who we’ve picked. Not unless they each find out, of course.”

“Well, it’s Marinette,” Adrien said flatly. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. From my class. Apparently.”

Plagg cocked his head. “Apparently? You’re not sure?”

“No!” Adrien wiped a hand over his face. “No, actually, I’m not sure because even though I _saw it with my own eyes_ , it makes zero sense!”

“Wait, you saw her transform, right? Then it has to be her. It’s not an easy effect to fake, all the sparkles and everything.”

“You…” Adrien pointed at the small black spirit. “... are not helping. Marinette is definitely Ladybug. Except she can’t be.”

Plagg frowned. “And you say that because…?”

“Because it’s Marinette!” Adrien waved a hand, exasperated. “She’s sweet and nice and quiet, and Ladybug is none of those things!”

“... You realize you’ve basically just said that Ladybug — your crush, right? — is neither sweet nor nice. And loud.”

“And Marinette’s _shy_! Like, painfully shy.” Adrien paced the floor in front of his desk. “I think I can count on one hand the number of complete sentences she has managed to speak to me in a year.”

Plagg regarded him thoughtfully. “She can’t act like a superhero all the time, right? Society generally frowns on the idea of high-school students leaping buildings in a single bound, if we're honest.”

“Plagg.” Adrien stood with his hands on his hips. “You really don’t have to be a superhero to be able to say hello to someone who’s been in your class for an entire year.”

With an annoyed sigh, Plagg flew to the top of one of Adrien’s highest bookshelves, a sure sign he was done with the conversation. “Well, she wouldn’t be the first Ladybug who used the opportunity of a mask to act a bit less repressed.”

Adrien glared after him. Then sat down at his computer. After a few seconds, he learned that Alya had no new real material to publish, so today’s post was full of breathy speculation about Ladybug’s identity. Adrien pursed his lips. About once a week, Alya posted something like this, and once a week, he read them, combing through every last detail right along with Ladybug’s number one fan.

Images of Ladybug leaping from building to building. Taking down akuma. Swinging from her yo-yo. Rolling her eyes at Chat Noir. Smiling for Alya’s camera.

 _Repressed?_ Adrien frowned. It was like they were two different _people_. Of course, the physical resemblance was obvious now. He might actually feel a little stupid that he hadn’t seen it before. _Maybe that’s just… part of the kwami’s magic? Kind of a cloaking spell or something?_ And, well, he knew Marinette was smart. She had a bit of a reputation for it at school.

Okay. So. Same face. Same body…

Adrien glanced at his screen and flushed. A nice body…

And smart.

Physical appearance and intelligence.

Narrowing his eyes, he reached for his homework and cracked open his physics textbook. Nothing was getting answered tonight. But tomorrow. He would be clever and suave and charming and just a bit more interested than usual. But not too much, because Marinette was Ladybug, and Ladybug would sure as hell figure out that he was up to something. 

Tomorrow, he would find out if there actually was a Ladybug underneath Marinette Dupain-Cheng's perpetual embarrassment.

* * *

 

“Whoa.” Nino’s eyebrows shot above his glasses. “You get in a fight with your dad or something, man?”

Adrien froze before entering their classroom. “No, why, what’s up, something wrong?”

His friend cocked his head. “Well, I don’t know, but I sure hope you don’t have a photoshoot today. It’s gonna take a hella lotta makeup to cover those dark circles.”

Adrien smirked humorlessly. “No fight. I just didn’t sleep. Much.” _Like, two hours?_ While he usually fell asleep to visions of Ladybug dancing through the rooftops of Paris, he’d lain awake into the wee hours of the morning analyzing every gesture, every expression that he could recall from Marinette.

Around 4 a.m., Plagg had suggested he might want to pick up a hobby or five.

Nino followed him into the room. “Can you even think, dude? We’ve got a final in physics today.”

Marinette was sitting in her usual spot. Alya was trying to interest her in something on her phone, but Marinette was staring right at him. An expression that was half welcome smile and half nervous terror.

_This is Ladybug?_

and the next thought:

_How did I ever not see those damn blue eyes?_

But whatever! Adrien tried for his usual charming grin and promptly slid into the bench in front of her, right after Nino.

Turns out he could not, as Nino had speculated, actually think today. He was not looking forward to seeing his physics test score. Every sound, every movement Marinette made hit him like a tennis ball to the back of the head.

_Ladybug. Ladybug is right behind me._

_Ladybug is taking physics._

_…_

_I wonder how she’s doing on the test._

When the bell rang, he turned around in his seat. Smoothly, as though it were commonplace, he asked, “So how’d you do?”

Adrien watched carefully as, sure enough, Marinette turned a violent shade of pink. “Um!” she squeaked. “F-fine!”

He waited. 

She stared at him.

Alya leaned around Marinette. “She was awesome, I know it. We studied together yesterday, and if she didn’t take this test out into a back alley somewhere and _own_ it, then I’ll—”

“How… how did you do…?” Marinette cut in. “Adrien?”

 _Adrien. Ladybug just said my name._ Which made him feel _so_ good. _And Ladybug is Marinette._ Which made him feel… well. That needed to be sorted out.

“Not awesome, I don’t think,” he admitted. He leaned back into the bench, closer to her.

Marinette made a weird chirping noise and backed away.

Adrien managed to keep his smile in place, but his brain blared, _This is Ladybug?!_ _Ladybug would have shoved me back into my seat!_ How… weird. “Yeah, I couldn’t get to sleep last night, so my concentration is way off this morning.”

“Oh.” She nodded, her blush fading the tiniest bit. “I have a lot of nights like that.”

_I bet. Run around Paris after dark much?_

“Hey, man, lemme out.” Nino nudged him finally. “We’ve got two minutes before literature, and I need, uh.” He glanced back at Alya. “Need to stretch my legs,” he mumbled.

Adrien felt his smile widen for real. His friend had to go to the can, he just didn’t want to say it in front of the girls. Specifically Alya, Adrien would bet anything. “Yeah, yeah.” He slid out of the bench. Which meant he stood pretty much right next to Marinette. Adrien glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye.

She was trying, _god_ , she was trying so hard not to look at him. She bent over her notebook, but he could see she wasn’t writing anything. Wow, even her ears were pink. And her neck. An idea tickled at the back of his mind.

Adrien leaned an elbow on her desk. “Fixing your notes?” he asked.

“Y-yup!” She cringed away from him. Steam was practically rolling out of her ears, she was so flustered.

“Mm.” He reached over and tapped the open page. “Don’t forget to add that last formula she mentioned right before the bell.” Adrien flashed her his modeling grin. “I swear she does that on purpose.”

Huge _huge_ blue eyes finally turned on him. Long black lashes swept over prettily flushed cheeks. And perfectly smooth lips parted just enough to whisper, “Okay.”

 _Wow._ Adrien kept his smile in place. Years of practice, _thank you_. But _wow_.

After Nino finally slid back into the bench. After the next instructor began espousing the imagination of Alexandre Dumas. After Marinette’s pencil resumed scratching away at her notebook. All Adrien could think was…

_Ladybug’s never said “okay” like that before._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How do you get a girl to talk to you?”
> 
> Nino choked and swallowed quickly. “You’re asking me this question?”
> 
> Adrien frowned. “You can talk to everyone. Why wouldn’t I ask you?”
> 
> “Dude, have you listened to me? Do you hear the things that come out of my mouth?”
> 
> “But that’s why you’re great,” Adrien insisted. “You just say whatever, and people just say whatever back. How do you do that?”
> 
> Nino stared at him. “You are — and I use the word ‘literally’ unironically here — literally a model. What makes you think you have to do anything to get a girl to talk to you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't read the edited version of Ch1, go back and read it! I added about 1,000 words there in early December :)

“Bye bye, little butterfly.”

Chat Noir watched listlessly as Ladybug released the purified akuma from her magic yo-yo. When she threw her Lucky Charm into the air, he took note with dull interest as the neighborhood reversed the damage of the latest Hawkmoth-induced rampage.

Marinette was totally Ladybug.

He had kept a close eye on her — even more so than usual — during their defense against an outraged mall Santa Claus. All right, the reindeer that shot laser beams from their eyes had distracted him momentarily, but for the most part, Chat Noir had kept Ladybug in his sights the entire time. The movement, the gestures, the goddamn pigtails… it was all there. Right down to her voice.

And _damn_. Marinette’s voice was _hot_. When you took out the stammering, the half-baked sentences, and all the ums and uhs, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had a confident, no-nonsense voice that plugged right into Chat Noir’s Ladybug-centric mainframe. Spine chills and racing heart included. He had no clue what he was going to do about it.

“Mission accomplished!”

Chat Noir blinked. Ladybug was holding out her red-gloved fist, just as she always did after every akuma they vanquished together.

“... Chat Noir?”

“Right! Right.” He stood and walked to her. Bumped her fist lightly. “Mission accomplished.”

She stared at him. “All right, what is with you tonight?” Ladybug stood with her hands on her hips. “Not that I’m complaining, we all have our off days, but you have seriously been half-assing it this time. What’s up?”

 _Shit! She noticed!_ “My apologies, princess. Perhaps I was just particularly mesmerized by my lady’s dazzling skills tonight,” he said smoothly. With a wave of his hand, he turned to walk away.

“Okay, now I know something’s wrong.”

Chat Noir froze, one foot in the air. He heard Ladybug walk up behind him. She spun him around with one hand on his shoulder.

“You,” she intoned dangerously, “missed a perfectly good pun opportunity there. ‘Perhaps?’ Like a normal person? Who are you tonight?”

 _Adrien. I’m Adrien. And you are Marinette, and this is not how we usually interact._ If he hadn’t already been sweating—  “Why don’t you act like this around me in real life?”

Both of their jaws dropped simultaneously.

Chat Noir slapped a hand over his mouth.

Marinette’s eyes almost popped out of her mask. “ _What—?_ ”

“I didn’t say anything!” Chat Noir took several steps back.

“You _so_ did!” Marinette yelled, following him. “Do… do we know each other?”

“What? Why would you say that?!”

“ _Oh!_ Do you know who I am?!”

“I can’t imagine—!”

“How did you find out?! I’ve been so careful, and I’ve told you over and over—!”

“I don’t know anything!” Chat Noir yelped, hating how shrill his voice was. “I have zero knowledge about anything at all and that includes what’s going on right now!”

“Listen, you little _cat_ , you tell me right now—!”

" _Well, I’m almost out of time, have to go, see you later, bye!_ ”

And Chat Noir leapt across the rooftops of Paris to the echo of Ladybug shouting, “ _You goddamn feline!_ ”

When he was sure she wasn’t following him, he let himself settle behind a chimney on one of his favorite buildings. He gritted his teeth and glared up into the night sky. “Well, that was stupid.”

 _So. I basically just told Ladybug I know who she is._ _And that we know each other._ Chat Noir pinched the bridge of his nose. _And that she acts differently around me when we’re not superheroes._ “Why didn’t I just leave a trail of breadcrumbs to my front door while I was at it?”

Ladybug — Marinette — was smart. She would figure this out. And when she did, then what? How would Ladybug act around Chat Noir then? Would she freeze up like Marinette did around Adrien? That… would not be cool. Wouldn’t be fun, and it would make working together a hell of a lot harder. Plus…

“Augh.” He leaned his head back against the chimney with a groan. “Ladybug.” She was beautiful and graceful and funny and smart, and he still hadn’t quite given up hope that someday _someday_ she’d think something like that about him. “Maybe.” 

But now she was Marinette as well. Who was nice, like he’d told Plagg, but… he just didn’t know what he’d do if Ladybug started acting like Marinette. What if the problem was Adrien? What if… what if Ladybug just _couldn’t be around Adrien?_ Chat Noir frowned up at the sky. _Well, then._

Marinette was going to learn how to talk to Adrien. And together, Adrien and Chat Noir would be excellent teachers.

Probably.

* * *

 

“Nino.”

“Mmf?” His friend looked up at him over his sandwich. They had managed to shake off Chloe and Sabrina for lunch and were currently hiding/not hiding in the school’s tiny garden square.

“How do you get a girl to talk to you?”

Nino choked and swallowed quickly. “You’re asking _me_ this question?”

Adrien frowned. “You can talk to everyone. Why wouldn’t I ask you?”

“Dude, have you listened to me? Do you hear the things that come out of my mouth?”

“But that’s why you’re great,” Adrien insisted. “You just say whatever, and people just say whatever back. How do you do that?”

Nino stared at him. “You are — and I use the word ‘literally’ unironically here — _literally_ a model. What makes you think you have to do anything to get a girl to talk to you?”

“Okay, well, what if that’s part of the problem?” Adrien had given this some thought last night and had come up with a few theories. “What if, say, it’s hard for people to talk to me? Shouldn’t I be even better at getting them to open up?”

“... As much as I’d really like to be offended at how easily you latched onto that idea, you might have a point.”

Adrien sat up straight. “You think that’s really it? You think people might not talk to me because I’m a model?”

“Or because you’re rich. Or the son of a powerful designer. Or super smart. I mean, pick whichever incredibly intimidating attribute you’d like.”

“Well, now, you’re just making it sound like no one can talk to me at all.”

“Not true, man, not true.” Nino patted him on the shoulder. “I talk to you all the time.”

“Thank you. Which is why I’m asking you _how_.”

Nino raised an eyebrow. “How can I talk to you? Well, in addition to all that other stuff I mentioned, you’re kind of a huge dork.”

“... What?”

“Huge.”

“You just finished telling me I’m basically the golden child of Paris, and now you’re saying I’m an idiot.”

“Never said you were an idiot. You’re just not as cool as your resume would suggest you should be.”

“Ah.” Adrien slumped back onto the grass. “Well. What a relief. I guess.”

“Oh, come on, man, you know what I mean, right? You’re just... “ Nino gestured with the remains of his sandwich. “You’re just like everyone else, yeah? You don’t actually care about all that other stuff. I mean, you care about all the stuff you’re studying, I guess. You seem to like the fencing and extra language classes, which, whatever. But you’re not going around saying, ‘Check out my dad’s spring line, this jacket cost blah di blah’ and everything.”

“I don’t wear jackets _around_ that cost blah di blah,” Adrien said defensively. “And what does that have to do with getting a girl to talk to me?”

“Okay, are we talking about a particular girl?” Nino asked. “Because the only one I’ve actually noticed who can’t talk to you is… oh. _Oh._ ” He eyed Adrien sharply. “Do you have a thing for _Marinette?_ ”

“ _No_ , I do not have a _thing_ for Marinette!” Adrien hissed. “However, I _am_ concerned that she can’t even say hello to me!”

“That _concerns_ you?”

“It’s weird, okay?” Adrien said. _No details. Don’t give anything away._ “And I guess I… well, like you said, people usually just talk to me, and I don’t have to work too hard at it. Seems like a skill I should learn, you know, being in the fashion industry and all.”

“I suppose…” Nino still looked suspicious. “So… getting Marinette to talk to you, huh? Like a normal person?”

“Just leading her through a two-minute conversation, that’s all I ask.” _For now._ They could work up to… joking or something eventually.

“Huh. Well, okay.” Nino stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth. “First, you gotta make her comfortable.”

“Right. How do I do that?” Because it was painfully obvious that, for whatever reason, Marinette was not at all comfortable around Adrien. _So what makes Ladybug cool with Chat Noir?_ “Puns?”

“Puns?” Nino looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “... No, man. God, have you ever been on a date?”

“Hey, now, I’m not trying to date Marinette,” Adrien clarified hastily.

“Okay, but the principles of conversation are the same. You have to be confident, and you have to make her feel confident too.”

“Oh.” Adrien wondered if he should be taking notes. _Principles of conversation?_

“So… start with easy stuff. Like, how did she do on the last test?”

“Oh, I tried that one,” Adrien recalled. “She still freaked out.” But it was still the longest conversation he’d had with her, now that he thought of it. “I guess I could try again.”

Nino nodded sagely. “This could take time. You have to be patient. And when she freaks out, you have to act like it’s no big deal. Remember, it’s all about making her feel comfortable.”

“And confident,” Adrien repeated. _Weird._ Ladybug positively oozed with confidence. You could shatter rocks on her self-assuredness. Chat Noir was the goofball she rolled her eyes at. But apparently that’s not how it was going to work with Marinette and Adrien.

“Right. Help her feel good about herself when she’s talking to you, and she’ll probably keep talking to you.” Nino paused. “Or I guess in this case, she might actually start talking to you.”

“Right. Okay, right.” Adrien nodded. “Yeah! I can do this!”

“Yeah! Good luck, man!”

* * *

 

“I cannot do this.”

Adrien dropped into his computer chair with a groan. Plagg flew out of his schoolbag, snickering unkindly. “I have never seen a girl actually hide in the bathroom like that before,” the little cat spirit jeered.

“How can I get her comfortable with me if she won’t even let me stand within five feet of her?” Adrien sighed, exasperated.

After literature, Marinette had managed to agree that she was glad they weren’t reading the entirety of _The Count of Monte Cristo._ After world history, Marinette had blushed — _hard_ — and shrugged a shoulder when he had suggested that the Louvre’s new Egyptian antiquities collection might be interesting. And finally, after business ethics, he had attempted to ask her if she’d had a chance to try the new cafe down the street, but she’d literally fled to the restroom as soon as the bell rang. As far as he knew, she was still there. Except, probably not, because he was gone now.

Adrien smirked humorlessly at the bank of monitors across his desk. Ladybug smiled back at him from each one.

“Just tell me,” he asked her. “How can you roll your eyes at Chat Noir and not even look at Adrien Agreste?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She eyed him suspiciously. “Do you flirt with me in real life too?”
> 
> Chat Noir tried to cover up a choke. “Who’s to say which part is real life, mademoiselle?”
> 
> Ladybug smacked his arm. “Do you or do you not flirt with Marinette, you shameless pile?”
> 
> Chat Noir stared down at her. Flirt with Marinette? As Adrien? The concept was… new and a little bit weird but…
> 
> Large blue eyes met his, and a delicate pink mouth smiled at him a little bit. Ladybug. Damn, but she could make it kind of hard to breathe.
> 
> Chat Noir swallowed gently. He licked his lips. “That could… be arranged.”

Adrien woke up to the tiniest pokes on his cheek. He swatted, sleepily felt something connect with his hand, and rolled back over.

“Oh, he looks really alert.” The voice was new. And sarcastic.

“And I suppose Ladybug jumps right out of bed when you wake her up at 3 a.m. on a school night? Help me out of the trash can.” That was definitely Plagg.

 _Ladybug?_ Adrien’s eyes flew open, and he sat up quickly. A tiny red blob, about the size of an apple, hovered over the trash can by his desk.

“... Plagg? Did you fall in some paint or something?”

“Well!” The red blob put small hands on nonexistent hips. “The idea!”

“Tikki.” Plagg’s voice was muffled. “In a moment? I’m stuck in a coffee cup.”

“Tikki. _Tikki?!_ ” Adrien threw back the covers and rushed over to his desk. “You’re Ladybug’s kwami?! I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you, I—”

“Stop!” The little red spirit held up a hand. “Ladybug wants to see you.”

Adrien felt his blood drain to his feet. “She… she does?” he squeaked. _Oh. Oh yeah._ Last night seemed like a really long time ago, but Ladybug probably hadn’t forgotten the moment when Chat Noir had revealed that he knew who she was. Like an idiot.

“Indeed.” Tikki crossed her arms. It was an experience, being glared at by a mystical creature the size of a chibi anime figurine. “She’s waiting in the park. Suit up.”

Adrien stumbled back a step. Small wonder now that Ladybug was so intimidating herself sometimes. “Er… yes? I’ll just — find Plagg.” He knelt to rummage in the trash. His hand had just closed on the tiny black spirit when a thought struck him. “Hey, wait a sec. You said that you and Tikki don’t share identities with each other until after Chat Noir and Ladybug figure it out for themselves.”

“True in every respect!” Plagg gasped, trying to free himself from Adrien’s grip.

“But Ladybug doesn’t know who I am yet,” Adrien insisted. “So what’s she doing in my room?” He pointed at Tikki.

“Now don’t blame your silly kwami.” Tikki floated over to them. “He’s rubbish at keeping secrets. When I decide I want to know, I usually find out. And Ladybug is _upset_ ,” she emphasized, glaring at Adrien again.

“Is… is she?”

“A bit,” Tikki confirmed. “I suggest you hurry.”

* * *

 

Ladybug, it seemed, was in fact upset.

Chat Noir cowered behind the park’s gate. Ladybug was pacing in front of the fountain, muttering to herself.

_Well, now what?_

If this was just Ladybug and Chat Noir as usual, he knew what he’d do. He’d strut out there, flirting and confident of being shut down as sexily as always. If it was Marinette and Adrien, he’d do his model walk, oozing confidence and waiting for her to devolve into a pile of stammering mush.

Even when it had been Chat Noir and Marinette that one time, he’d acted like Chat Noir always did. Marinette had seemed a bit more put together than usual, but nothing on par with Ladybug. Not that he could recall anyway.

He had no idea what to do with this combination: super-confident Ladybug/melt-into-the-floor Marinette with Chat Noir. Also, she was angry.

Chat Noir swallowed hard. _When in doubt, wing it._ He stepped around the gate.

“Your knight in shining armor returns, milady.” _Would Chat Noir bow right now? He would… but would Adrien be like that with Marinette? Ha! Right. Okay, so, what do I—?_

Ladybug’s yo-yo was wrapped around him before he could make up his mind one way or the other. He gave a decidedly unmanly yelp and probably would have face-planted if she hadn’t jammed a hand into his shoulder. Kind of hard.

“No running away this time, kitty cat,” Ladybug snarled quietly, keeping the yo-yo string taut. “Do you know who I am? Yes or no?”

Chat Noir bit his lip and looked down into narrow blue eyes. _Lie! You could just lie. You could say a totally wrong name, and she’d never know._ “You’re Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he whispered. “And I don’t know anything about you.”

The transformation was mesmerizing.

The blue eyes behind the red mask widened, black lashes fanning around her surprise. Her mouth fell open ever so slightly, and then she blushed.

Chat Noir stopped breathing. He’d never seen Ladybug like this before, but it was a look that Adrien was pretty damn familiar with.

“What — what do you mean?” She tightened her grip on the yo-yo string, but her voice was soft. “You know Marinette?”

“I don’t, though.” Chat Noir tugged at the string, and he felt it loosen around his shoulders. He swept it off one shoulder and then the next, letting it fall to his feet. “I don’t know Marinette at all.”

“Oh. Oh, I see.” Ladybug recoiled the yo-yo and didn’t look at him. Chat Noir hated that Adrien was familiar with that too. Ladybug should always be able to look at him. “So… we don’t actually know each other,” she added.

He shrugged. “I have no idea how well you know me.” 

She looked up at him then, her brows drawn quizzically. “What on earth does that mean? I know you or I don’t, which is it?”

“Um?” Chat Noir rubbed the back of his neck and looked up into the street lights for some kind of guidance.

“You said that I don’t act the same,” Ladybug said suddenly, her voice a bit more firm. “I remember that.”

 _Shit._ “Well, that’s… that’s… true,” he agreed.

“Ugh.” Ladybug threw up her hands and walked away from him. “Are you as frustrating as this when we’re around each other?”

Chat Noir thought back to how Marinette had hidden from him in the bathroom today. He laughed. “I think… maybe.”

Ladybug shot him a glance over her shoulder. “Naturally. So if you’re the same, what do I do that’s different?”

“Uh?” Chat Noir put a hand to his mouth thoughtfully. I _can’t very well tell you that you’re a complete weirdo around me._ “You’re a little more… quiet?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Quiet. Anything else?”

“You know,” he backpedaled, “I don’t really want to tell you too much because—”

“Because what?” She walked back to him. “I’ll find out who you are? Oh no. It’s almost like you think our identities _should have been kept a secret._ ”

“Hey!” Chat Noir protested. “It’s not my fault you weren’t more careful.” The half truth pricked at him but not enough to take it back.

“Careful?!” Ladybug screeched. “I have been the epitome of careful, you stalker!”

“I am nothing of the kind!”

“How did you find out who I was?”

“I—!” Chat Noir paused. _I changed course to check out my new ad. Yeah, no._ “You transformed on the wrong side of a kiosk. After a fight. The end.”

Ladybug raised an eyebrow, dissatisfied. “That’s not even a good story.”

“Which usually means it’s true. Sorry it wasn’t as romantic as you’d always imagined, princess,” he added lightly.

“ _You—!_ You’re the one who’s always flirting around!” She eyed him suspiciously. “Do you flirt with me in real life too?”

Chat Noir tried to cover up a choke. “Who’s to say which part is real life, mademoiselle?”

Ladybug smacked his arm. “Do you or do you not flirt with Marinette, you shameless pile?”

Chat Noir stared down at her. Flirt with Marinette? As Adrien? The concept was… new and a little bit weird but…

Large blue eyes met his, and a delicate pink mouth smiled at him a little bit. _Ladybug._ Damn, but she could make it kind of hard to breathe.

Chat Noir swallowed gently. He licked his lips. “That could… be arranged.”

* * *

 

Adrien watched his alarm clock tick over to 4 a.m. If his dad ever found out how late he stayed up sometimes…

Plagg snuggled into his usual nest in Adrien’s schoolbag. “Well, that could have gone infinitely worse,” the black spirit said with a yawn. “We should celebrate with a luxurious two hours of sleep. I swear, Tikki, sometimes…” The mutters faded into gentle, tiny snores.

Sleep tugged at Adrien’s eyes, but his mind wasn’t interested in the idea. Or not yet at least. First, it wanted to thoroughly analyze all the things that could go horribly wrong with flirting with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hi!” Alya always seemed to be super high-energy. “Nino said you guys wanted to check out the Dupains’ new macarons, and I was like, I’m coming!” 
> 
> “Is… is that what we’re doing?” Adrien glanced at Nino. The three of them walked down the school steps as the last students left in the fading afternoon light.
> 
> “Dude!” Nino punched his arm a little harder than necessary. “You know I know how much you like sea salt caramel! I am not about to let you miss out on an experience like this.”
> 
> “Ah. Right.” Adrien wracked his brain as to when he’d ever gotten worked up about sea salt caramel. Sweets weren’t something he came into regular contact with.
> 
> “I didn’t know you guys paid that much attention to the daily flavors,” Alya commented.
> 
> “Oh.” Nino laid a hand on his heart and gazed heavenward. “We check online every day.”

The first step was, obviously, to be casual.

Adrien studied himself in the mirror. He didn’t look casual. He looked wound up tighter than Ladybug’s yo-yo.

He wasn’t exactly hiding in the men’s room before his first class. Not really. He just… well, if you were going to intentionally _flirt_ for the very first time, you should probably make sure you didn’t have, like, granola in your teeth, right?

Nino’s advice played over in his mind. _You’ve got to make her feel confident._

“Right. Confident.” Adrien nodded his head firmly. Then he groaned. “Why is flirting with Ladybug something that just _happens?_ ”

“Maybe because Ladybug is already confident?” Plagg poked his head out of Adrien’s schoolbag. “She hardly needs you to swaddle her in praise. The pressure is off, you might say.”

“Marinette _is_ Ladybug.” Adrien wondered if he repeated that often enough he might actually believe it someday. “That has to be part of her outside the costume too, right? Somewhere? Buried quite deeply perhaps?”

Plagg squinted neon green eyes at him. “ _Quite_ deeply. Tikki seems to have found a particularly dichotomous young lady this time around.”

Adrien swallowed hard and glanced at his phone. “Yeah. Well, duty calls.”

“Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong,” Plagg whispered from inside the bag as Adrien pushed open the bathroom door. “But the effect is probably not going to be very flirtatious if you’re treating the whole thing like a _chore_.”

“I’m going into battle, Plagg,” Adrien hissed. The halls were fairly deserted — he was the only one cutting it so close to get to class. “For Ladybug, for me, and… for the way Marinette said ‘okay’ that one time.”

“... what?”

“Sh!” Adrien rounded the corner, his classroom coming into view. And there she was.

Marinette paused in front of the door, fiddling with something in her little clasp purse.

Adrien slowed his steps. In this unguarded moment… if he tried very hard… he could _just_ see Ladybug. Which made it easier than it should have been to say—

“I’m _so_ happy you’re late too.”

Marinette’s shriek made his eyes roll back into his head. “ _A-Adrien?!_ ” She clutched the bag to her as though he’d seen her drop a joint into it. “I… I’m not really _late_ I was just… and then I had to — well, there was this _thing_ and then…”

Adrien finally remembered to close his mouth. _Make her comfortable._ How, exactly? Marinette was all but  _vibrating._ “No worries, right? We’ll just walk in together.”

Her pupils constricted to pinpoints. “To… to _gether?_ ” she hissed.

How exactly was flirting going to happen if he couldn’t even be _boring_ without making her fall apart? Who knew someone could be so shy? Adrien kept his smile in place. “That way no one has to take the heat alone, yeah? I’ll go first.” He reached past her to push open the door.

His arm brushed her jacket sleeve, and he heard her suck in a breath. Adrien glanced down to see her gripping her shoulder. “Oh, sorry. Did I hurt you?” _How would I have?_

“N-no,” she breathed, staring at him. “Just… just go on ahead.”

“Right.” That was a normal sentence! With hardly a stutter! Adrien celebrated with a wink. “Enjoy the view.”

He walked into the classroom, feeling pretty damn good about himself to be honest. He was all but certain he had just managed to accomplish actual flirting. Without the black leather and cat ears! Maybe this whole thing could be as much about him being more like Chat Noir as it would be about Ladybug being —

“Marinette?!”

Their history instructor was staring past him, horrified, into the hall. Adrien raised his eyebrows. The entire class, or the students in the front rows at least, were craning their necks to see through the door.

Adrien turned slowly.

Marinette was sitting on her ass in the doorway. One hand clutched the doorframe, the other braced against the floor. Her bookbag had slipped off her shoulder, her legs akimbo. Her cheeks were pinker than her cherry-blossom-colored pants, and her mouth gaped. The instructor rushed over to help her up, and Alya slipped out of her seat, clucking her tongue at her clumsy friend.

Adrien turned his head just enough to find Nino.

Who was watching him. And shaking his head slowly.

* * *

 

“Man, what did you _do?_ ”

“What do you mean, _what did I do?_ ” Adrien stabbed the peach on his school lunch tray viciously. “I said, oh, you’re late too? Let me go through the door first.” He was absolutely _not_ going to tell Nino about the ‘enjoy the view’ comment. Damn, and he had thought that one was inspired too.

“And then she _fell._ ” Nino raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know! I turned around, and she was sitting on the floor! _And_ she wouldn’t even look at me after class!” Hours later, and here Adrien was back to square one. Lunch with Nino and asking for advice. _Maybe it was a dumb line._

“And you still want to get her to talk to you?” Nino asked. “You might just want to give this one up and move on.” 

Adrien’s head snapped up in horror. “Are you kidding me? I haven’t even flirted with her yet! Properly.”

“Okay, what?” Nino cocked his head. “You decided getting Marinette to have a normal conversation with you wasn’t enough of a challenge, so now you want to try _flirting_ with her.” He frowned. “Flirting is advanced communication, man.” 

“I’m not doing this because she’s, like, a _challenge_ or something,” Adrien said quickly. “I mean, she _is_ , but that’s not why I’m… I’m trying.”

“Holy shit.” Nino looked at him with something weirdly like respect. “Didn’t know you had a thing for Marinette, sorry.”

“I—!” Adrien stopped. _I have a thing for Ladybug. Which means… I have a thing for Marinette?!_ “It’s new,” he managed.

“Must be. Cuz yesterday you were all ‘I’m not trying to date Marinette, stop putting words in my mouth,’” Nino reminded him reproachfully. 

“Well. Well,” Adrien stammered. “That’s still, you know, _really_ far ahead.”

Nino narrowed his eyes and nodded. “You’re so right. Which is why we gotta get this moving.”

“... We?”

* * *

 

“Oh. Uh. Hi, Alya.” Adrien greeted his curvy classmate as naturally as he could manage. He knew she was Marinette’s best friend, which meant he _also_ knew that Nino was definitely making this more elaborate than it needed to be.

“Hi!” Alya always seemed to be super high-energy. “Nino said you guys wanted to check out the Dupains’ new macarons, and I was like, I’m coming!” 

“Is… is that what we’re doing?” Adrien glanced at Nino. The three of them walked down the school steps as the last students left in the fading afternoon light.

“Dude!” Nino punched his arm a little harder than necessary. “You _know_ I know how much you like sea salt caramel! I am not about to let you miss out on an experience like this.”

“Ah. Right.” Adrien wracked his brain as to when he’d ever gotten worked up about sea salt caramel. Sweets weren’t something he came into regular contact with.

“I didn’t know you guys paid that much attention to the daily flavors,” Alya commented.

“Oh.” Nino laid a hand on his heart and gazed heavenward. “We check online every day.”

Adrien shot him a look. 

“Me too!” Alya jumped up and down a little bit. “I can’t always go. They’re not cheap, you know. But when you said you were going, well, _yeah_ , I’m in.”

“Uh. How expensive are they?” Adrien asked nervously. He had some cash from his last paycheck, but he definitely didn’t want Nino to have to shell out anything serious for a stupid experiment like this.

Alya cocked her head. “You’ve never actually gotten them before?”

 _Shit! I just blew Nino’s whole story!_ “Uh…”

Nino threw an arm over his shoulder. “Alya, would you believe it, this guy has never actually been.”

“No!” Alya stared at him. “You’ve never gone to the Dupains’ bakery? Like, _ever?_ ”

“Well…” Adrien licked his lips. “You see—”

“Oh, he’s afraid Marinette will think he’s just going to check her out,” Nino interrupted breezily. “What a dumb thing to be worried about, right?”

Alya’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. “Totally. Totally dumb. Ohmigod, Adrien, _do you have a crush on Marinette?!_ ” 

“Augh!” Adrien shoved Nino’s arm off his shoulder. “ _Nino!_ ”

“You _DO?!_ OHmigod ohmigod, Marinette is going to—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Nino, calm as ever, held up both hands. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Alya. I’m sure you’ve noticed that your friend gets a little… timid… around our favorite model here.”

Alya squinted at him. She turned to face forward. She coughed. “Well. If you put it like that.”

“So you feel me.” Nino put a hand to his chest. “Adrien has avoided the Dupains’ shop, at the cost of enjoying daily macarons, simply to keep poor Marinette from spontaneously combusting.”

Adrien _just_ stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Who would believe such a stupid story? 

“Which is why I’m elated, Alya, that you’re coming along.” Nino slapped Adrien on the back. “I’ll keep Adrien from eating the contents of the entire store. And you—” He rested a hand lightly on Alya’s shoulder. Adrien totally saw and narrowed his eyes. “You will reassure Marinette with your calming presence that Adrien is nothing to be scared of.”

“Um.” Alya didn’t look at them. “I’m not sure if—”

Adrien’s head snapped up. “It’s _that_ hard for Marinette to be around me?” This was already not going well.

“No!” Alya said suddenly. “No, she’s not scared of you, I promise!”

“Well, I _hope_ not,” Adrien said. “Geez, I just thought she was super shy. And she just decided I was… the one person she couldn’t talk to? Like, at all?”

Alya pursed her lips. “So you’ve noticed?” 

“Noticed?!” Adrien threw his arms in the air. “She fell on the _floor_ this morning after I said hello!”

Alya’s expression changed instantly from horror to the flattest look he’d ever seen. “That is _not_ what you said.”

 _Oh._ Adrien caught her eye. Right. Of course Marinette would have told her—

“Wait, wait, what?” Nino cocked his head. “ _What did you really say?_ ”

Adrien groaned.

“He _said,_ and I quote, ‘Enjoy the view.’ End quote. As he was walking through the classroom door _in front of her._ ” Alya looked very smug.

Nino whipped his head around to stare at Adrien. “You _animal!_ ”

Adrien groaned again. Louder. “It’s not like that! ” 

“Oh.” Alya stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop walking. “Oh, tell me what it’s like. You are either into my girl, or you are taking advantage of the fact that she is into _you_ because it gives you some kinda thrill. And if it’s the second one, I will own your ass.”

Adrien’s and Nino’s jaws dropped simultaneously.

Alya’s eyes went wide. “Oops.”

“ _Oops?!_ ” Nino shrieked. “Oops?!”

Adrien was vaguely concerned he’d never be able to shut his mouth again. _What. WHAT?_

“Now, hey, guys.” Alya backed up a step. “This is all just… just hypothetical, right? Let’s go get macarons, yeah?”

“No, no, no, no.” Nino grabbed both of her hands. “Let’s take that one more time from the top. _Your girl,_ as you put it, is into our little man right here?”

“I didn’t say anything!” Alya squealed, pulling at her hands. “I just want to get sea salt caramel macarons and forget that anyone likes anyone!”

“You _traitor!_ ” Nino shouted gleefully. “Adrien! The world is ours! Adrien?”

Adrien had discovered that the world looked decidedly less bizarre when he was crouched closer to the sidewalk with his hands grabbing his hair. _Holy shit!_ Goddammit, this is _not_ how he imagined he would feel if he ever found out that Ladybug liked him back. Maybe butterflies but not complete and utter panic! He now had all the power to ruin absolutely everything. 

“Adrien?” Alya squatted in front of him and put a hand on his head. “You’re, uh, looking a little paler than usual there.” 

His mouth felt like he’d eaten cotton balls for a week. “Is…” His voice sounded awful. “Is Marinette going to be at the bakery?”

She bit her lip. Nodded slowly. “Yeah. She usually helps out on Fridays. No school the next day, you know?”

Adrien swallowed hard. He looked up at Nino.

His friend shrugged and shook his head. “Up to you, man, but… it’s kind of why we’re going, isn’t it?”

Alya half-turned to glare up at him. “You said you just checked the daily flavors. You said sea salt caramel was his favorite. That’s what you said.”

Nino crossed his arms. “Yeah, well, just because some of us are better at keeping their friends’ secrets than you are…”

“You both suck at keeping secrets.” Adrien heaved himself to his feet. He straightened his bookbag over his shoulder. Tugged at his lapels. And started walking forward. “Let’s do this.” 

He felt… not good but certainly okay. Hey, Marinette could have _hated_ him, right? He may have even less of a clue about how to interact with her now, but things could absolutely, definitely be worse than Ladybug/Marinette liking him.

 _Yeah._ He lifted his chin. Feeling pretty good.

“Uh, Adrien?” Alya’s voice cut into his thoughts. “We needed to turn at that corner back there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely not Heartstrings, y'all. This is stupid teenagers crushing on each other VERY stupidly.  
> However.  
> *rubs hands*  
> I do hope to find some smoothness in Adrien. After a little bit of digging perhaps.
> 
> [HEARTSTRINGS IS AWESOME GO FUCKING READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T AUGH]
> 
> \--UPDATE  
> [@caeciling](http://archiveofourown.org/users/caecily/works) sketched Marinette's surprised face from the moment when she lands on her ass after Adrien flirst with her! [Check it out!](http://caeciling.tumblr.com/post/140833325843/marinette-inspired-by-an-adorable-scene-from-this)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s your favorite flavor, really. Nino’s opinion notwithstanding.”
> 
> She was really close. With no mask, those big blue eyes were just…
> 
> “This is not a hard question.” Marinette tapped her fingers on the counter.
> 
> Something deep inside shivered at that very Ladybug tone. But. Now he kind of wanted to see blushy Marinette again. Not the one who was constantly panicked. The one who was just sort of… cutely overawed. He straightened and watched as her eyes followed him up. It was weirdly satisfying.
> 
> “Lavender,” he said finally. “I know I like lavender.”
> 
> Marinette looked at him appraisingly. “Oh? Not a usual favorite of high-school boys.” She pushed away from the counter and walked down the line of pastry cases.
> 
> Adrien followed. “But you admit that I’m not a usual high-school boy.” This was fun. Sort of like Chat Noir with Ladybug but with… more at stake.

Marinette didn’t catch sight of them right away.

She was helping a woman and her little girl select a variety of tiny cakes from one of the glass cases. Adrien cocked his head. She had on a pink apron. And a really, _really_ cute smile.

“Oh shit,” he whispered.

Nino patted him on the shoulder. Alya swept past them into the shop. “Just act casual,” she hissed.

“Alya!” A pretty woman with Marinette’s blue-black hair wiped her hands on her apron and walked up to them. “Are you here to see Marinette?”

“Hi, Madame Cheng.” Alya smiled winningly. “Yeah, sure, when she’s got a minute, but actually…” She lowered her voice. “Do you have any of your daily macarons left?”

A pleased smirk settled over Madame Cheng’s face. “Well, you know, I just so happen to have one more tray in the kitchen. Can I bring some out for you?”

“Really?!” Alya gripped her hands under her chin. “Oh… oh, I just… need one. Um.”

 _Oh._ Alya had said they were kind of pricey. Well. He and Nino _had_ kind of involved her unfairly. “Actually, we’ll take half a dozen if you’ve got them,” Adrien said, walking up behind her. Nino followed, eyeballing the pastry cases on the way.

“Oh!” Madame Cheng straightened, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Oh, Alya, your boyfriend is _adorable._ Half a dozen, what a gentleman!”

“Uh!”

“ _Augh!_ ”

“What?”

“Oh.” Madame Cheng put a hand to her mouth. “Um. Well.” She smiled brightly. “What a nice… friend. I’ll just… just go get them, shall I? Half a dozen of the daily flavor, yes.” She disappeared into the depths of the shop.

Alya, Adrien, and Nino exchanged glances, a little shaken.

“Guys?”

Adrien’s heart stopped momentarily before it tried to claw its way out of his chest entirely. Marinette had finished with her customer and was staring at them — at him — as though they’d just announced their plan to rob the place.

“Nino!” Alya grabbed the other boy’s hand. “Did you see these wedding cakes in the front window? They’re incredible!”

“... _wedding_ cakes?”

Adrien fought down panic as Alya and Nino bolted to the front of the shop. He glanced back at Marinette out of the corner of his eye. She was gripping the glass countertop with white knuckles, her mouth open, her eyes like saucers.

_Well, shit._

He squared his shoulders. As much as he may not wish to be just like his dad in every respect, the man certainly knew how to at least _look_ in control. Chin up, model walk, and — for that special Adrien flare — an attempt at a smile.

“A-Adrien?” Marinette’s voice was little more than a whisper. She put a hand to her chest, and Adrien began to die.

Ladybug was looking at him like _that._ This was… well, if Alya was right… _and she might not be_ , he reminded himself… then maybe…

“Your mom’s getting us some macarons,” he said suavely, leaning against the counter. And promptly wanted to smash his face into the glass. _That’s your opening line, really, Agreste?_

“Is… is she?” Marinette breathed. She stood like she was wrapped in rubber bands, all tight and tense and uncomfortable.

He swallowed hard. _C’mon, Ladybug, it’s me._ “Sea salt caramel was the flavor today, I heard.” _Good god, how is talking this hard?_

But a couple of the rubber bands seemed to loosen. Marinette shifted a little onto one foot. “Mm. They’re always popular.” She paused and then, bravely: “Do — do you like sea salt caramel?”

“They’re my favorite, apparently.”

“... Apparently?”

“Uh!” Adrien’s eyes went wide. “I _think_ I’ll like them. I’m sure I will. Ha, how could I not?” He coughed. “I mean. Nino said I had to try them.” _GodDAMMIT._ He glanced over his shoulder. Nino and Alya were watching them from behind an Eiffel tower of cupcakes. As one, they whipped their heads back to stare deeply at elaborate frosting.

“You’ve _never_ had them before?”

Adrien turned back to Marinette, and his heart tried to climb up his throat. She looked positively floored. “Um! Well, I’ve… I’ve never had _your_ macarons before. I mean! Your dad’s! Your mom’s? _Whoever_ makes them. Here. I’ve never had macarons from here before.” He blew out a breath.

Marinette stared at him. Which wasn’t unusual in itself. Except normally she stared at him like he was about to eat her. _Now_ she was staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

“Adrien.” Her voice was firm. And so like Ladybug that Adrien felt himself melt against the counter a little.

“Yeah?” he sighed.

“You are telling me that you’ve _never_ had a macaron from our shop?” She narrowed her eyes. “Have you ever even been here before?”

 _Shit._ “Um?”

“You haven’t.” She folded her arms across her pink apron, and the whole effect was _augh._

He leaned forward. “Hey. In my defense, I had one of those croissants your dad brought into class once.”

She put a hand firmly on the counter and another on her hip. “That is deplorable. What’s your favorite flavor?”

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Sea salt—”

“What’s your favorite flavor, _really_. Nino’s opinion notwithstanding.”

She was really close. With no mask, those big blue eyes were just…

“This is not a hard question.” Marinette tapped her fingers on the counter.

Something deep inside shivered at that very _Ladybug_ tone. But. Now he kind of wanted to see blushy Marinette again. Not the one who was constantly panicked. The one who was just sort of… cutely overawed. He straightened and watched as her eyes followed him up. It was weirdly satisfying.

“Lavender,” he said finally. “I know I like lavender.”

Marinette looked at him appraisingly. “Oh? Not a usual favorite of high-school boys.” She pushed away from the counter and walked down the line of pastry cases.

Adrien followed. “But you admit that I’m not a usual high-school boy.” This was fun. Sort of like Chat Noir with Ladybug but with… more at stake.

Marinette glanced up at him as she opened the back of a case. “I will admit that you are unusual.” She hid her face behind the counter, but Adrien could still see her ears. He bit his lip. They were bright pink.

“I can work with that.” He couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice, even though he knew it was less than cool.

“Here.” Marinette stood. She didn’t look at him as she placed a tiny sweet on a napkin. “Try that.”

Her face was every bit as pink as her ears. Adrien didn’t give a damn about the sweet, but he was afraid if he didn’t at least look at it he’d stare at _her_ too long.

It was the smallest square cake he’d ever seen, palest purple, with a little white flower in some kind of frosting on top. He’d never seen anything so perfect looking outside of a photoshoot.

“Why, Marinette.” Adrien picked it up but simply held it. _Look at me. Please._ “You shouldn’t have.”

Her blush was fierce, but _thank god_ , she didn’t start shaking again. “It’s all right. I know the owners.”

He laughed and bit off a corner of the small cake. _Oh. Oh, wow._ In the middle of winter, here was spring lavender. Not overly sweet, just a little grassy, and that clean, clean scent… “Wow,” he said quietly.

Marinette tucked her hair behind her ear, a pleased smile on her face. “That’s the only thing we have right now that’s lavender. Most people want, like, dark chocolate and caramel and coffee in the winter.”

“Your dad _made_ this?” Adrien instantly wished he could take that back. This was the man’s bakery. _Of course_ he made it.

“Well, you know, it’s not a fashion empire, but we make it work.”

Adrien’s head snapped up. Marinette was watching him, biting back a grin. Here was Ladybug without the mask, with her sparkling blue eyes and her sweet sass and just a little bit of something new and curious that was so entirely Marinette Dupain-Cheng it was maddening.

“Will you go out with me?”

Adrien heard the words sail out of his mouth. Unplanned, unbidden, and undeniably stupid.

Marinette’s smile evaporated. “What.”

“Ah! Just, you know, like, once,” Adrien babbled, “just to see, kind of, I mean, wow, who would want to monopolize their entire — like, we could just hang out some night after school or something, see if we — oh, crap.”

Marinette wasn’t listening. She couldn't be. She looked a million, _ten million,_ miles away, she looked on the moon, and not in the overjoyed sense. Her mouth was open, her eyes staring at nothing.

“Holy — you know, uh.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “That clearly wasn’t — you can just —”

“YES!”

Adrien stumbled back from the counter a couple steps. Marinette hadn’t moved a muscle. She stood straight as a board, her mouth in a grim line.

“I… I’m sorry?” he stammered.

“Yes, I mean, yes, definitely, let’s… let’s do that. Thing.” She swallowed hard.

Adrien figured he should be feeling something a little bit more like elation. Ladybug had just _agreed_ to go out with him. Or go one one date with him. Something like that. She had just agreed to _something_ , and now all he could think of was…

_Now what?_

“Ah. Well, okay, cool.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Uhhh.” _Shit. How do you date? What should I say? What is a dating THING?_

“Maybe…” Marinette coughed and cleared her throat. “Maybe I should get your… your number? Or your email address?”

Now it was Adrien’s turn to blush. _Right. Right, that’s good. Ohmigod ohmigod, Ladybug just asked for my NUMBER._ “Aha. Sure. That would make sense.”

Marinette reached into her back pocket. “Um. Just… if you want…” She handed him her phone.

Adrien experienced a brief moment of terror when he couldn’t remember his phone number _at all,_ but thankfully it was short lived. He threw in his email for good measure. “Well, um. Text me or… or call me. And we can figure out… something.” He made sure not to touch her hand as he returned her phone. Not that he hadn’t touched Ladybug before, but there was no doubt a limit to how much he could deal with today. It was probably close, to be honest.

Marinette gave him the tiniest smile. She clutched her phone to her chest. “Sure.”

…

He _had_ to leave.

Adrien tapped the counter. Tried to keep his grin from shattering his face. Or vomiting on the floor. Or _whatever_ was going to happen from happening. “Right. Cool.” He turned quickly.

Nino, Alya, and Madame Cheng stood together on the other side of the shop. Nino had his hat clenched in his hands, Alya had her phone out, and Madame Cheng held a small white box. Her grin was _enormous._

Adrien walked to them, hoping he looked normal. Except who knew what normal looked like? Not Adrien.

“Nice work, Agreste,” Nino whispered, punching him softly.

“I knew you could do it,” Alya said, quiet and fierce.

Madame Cheng shoved the box into his hands. “On the house!” she choked, her smile a bit teary.

“What?” Adrien took the box. “I can’t — let me just—”

“He says thank you, Madame!” Alya sang and looped her arm through his. “Bye, Marinette! I want details!” she hissed, which Adrien thought was kind of silly since he was right next to her.

She and Nino dragged him effortlessly through the bakery’s front door.

* * *

 

Sea salt caramel was, it turned out, really good. Adrien broke off a piece for Plagg.

“That’s it?” the little cat spirit complained.

Adrien sat back against his pillows. “I only got two of these things. Be happy I’m sharing at all.” He popped the last of the macaron in his mouth. A little rich, but Marinette was right — it was a good cold-weather flavor.

“Mon dieu. What a _disgusting_ grin,” Plagg said.

Adrien glared up at him. “Just because you never smile.”

“I smile all the time,” Plagg countered. “Usually about cheese, I grant you, but your statement is false nonetheless.”

Adrien crossed his arms behind his head and sighed happily. “It’s a lot more fun to smile about a girl.”

Plagg sat on his knee. “I fail to see the appeal.”

“Whatever.” Adrien glanced at him. “You’re telling me you never had a crush on anyone?”

“I am over _five thousand_ years old,” Plagg huffed. 

“So you’re saying you’ve fallen in love more times than you can count?”

“I have done nothing of the kind. There is no other specie quite like the human being for falling so disastrously and _so often_ in love.”

Adrien let his hands fall to his lap. “Disastrous, huh?”

Plagg’s whiskers twitched. “I mean. _Occasionally_ disastrous. Certainly not a guaranteed thing.”

Adrien groaned. “What the hell was I thinking?”

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Plagg sniffed. “However, you asked, she said yes — rather loudly — and now you are simply waiting on the details. You are in it, my good man.”

“Yeah.” Adrien reached for his phone. It hadn’t been more than two inches away from him since he’d gotten home from the bakery. Its persistent silence was demoralizing.

“She’ll call.” Plagg floated up from his knee to hover in mid-air. “She always calls.”

Adrien’s eyes fixed on the little spirit. “She _always_ calls?” he repeated.

“You’ll both be fine.” Plagg drifted up to his favorite bookshelf. “Just keep me out of it as much as you can.”

“... Plagg?”

_Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

Adrien jerked and held up his phone.

**_Marinette Dupain-Cheng calling…_ **

Adrien swallowed hard and closed his eyes. _What the fuck, Plagg._ He cleared his throat.

“H-hi. Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, look, I KNOW that Heartstrings just posted, and I normally wouldn't post on the same day as a really big fic, especially one that I'm following. It's kind of like, you know, don't bowl in the lane next to someone who's bowling? But I was literally doing my final read-through when it posted.
> 
> And I suck at sitting on finished chapters.  
> So here it is.  
> Ta!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Chat, I know… I know you’re up here.” Ladybug’s voice sounded unsure. Timid. More like Marinette. “And I know you’re probably back to normal now. So. I won’t come any closer.”
> 
> Adrien exhaled carefully.
> 
> “Unless you want me to.”
> 
> He sucked in a hard breath. Shit!
> 
> “... I guess that’s a no.” A shuffling noise indicated that Ladybug had sat down on the other side of the air conditioning unit. “You know, I have every right to just walk right around here and get a good look at your face once and for all. Or at least, I think I do,” she finished quietly.

Paris was lovely this time of year. So festive, with even more twinkling lights than usual. Unfortunately, this evening, some of those lights belonged to an overstressed holiday shopper, akumatized into an aggressive Christmas tree.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug yelled. “It’s the little teddy bear ornament! Toward the top! I’m sure of it!”

He could just see it from here. It was hardly visible amid the huge, ornate globes and icicles all over the angry tree. Now, normally a tree was hardly a problem for a cat. However,  Ladybug was currently fastened to this one with tinsel. Silver was a good look for her.

But that aside, if Chat Noir was careless with his Cataclysm, he could injure Ladybug as well as the tree, who was in fact a person. A dick of a person but a person nonetheless.

Chat Noir bounced experimentally on the flagpole, his less-than-choice perch on the side of a building. If he had Ladybug’s luck, he’d no doubt find the perfect opening. Unfortunately...

“Oh, whatEVER!” he yelled, and he leapt.

A swipe with his destructive magic cut Ladybug neatly away from the tree, giving him only seconds to relocate that stupid glass teddy bear among the boughs. Not an easy task when you’re clinging to an angry Christmas tree.

“Hang on!” Ladybug shouted, and Chat Noir heard the familiar _swish_ of her yo-yo. With a sharp yank, she lashed the tree to a lamp post, giving Chat Noir a chance to scramble up the rest of the tree. With seconds to spare, he shattered the tiny ornament right before his Cataclysm petered out.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched a black butterfly emerge — finally — from the object of the shopper’s obsession. “All yours, milady,” he sang, a bit breathless. A bucking Christmas tree was really no joke.

The first warning beep of his miraculous sounded, but Chat Noir sat back to watch Ladybug work her restoring magic.

He’d spent the weekend pinching himself that he’d gotten a date (an actual, honest-to-god _date_ ) with Ladybug. Marinette had only stammered a little bit on the phone when they’d talked about details. He wondered if she’d been reading from a script.

Chat Noir grinned to himself. They were going to a Christmas light show in a couple days, and he, personally, was pretty pleased with the idea. He’d thought about going to see a movie (so cliche) or going out to dinner (so intimate. So much room for embarrassment. So not happening) and had been elated when Marinette had timidly mentioned the little holiday festival coming up in their neighborhood. There would be music and lights and maybe some games and definitely some food and probably some special performances… it would be perfect.

And, he wasn’t going to lie, the fact that Marinette/Ladybug had brought it up and not Adrien/Chat Noir was something of a relief. All Plagg’s talk about “destruction” and “bad luck” and “disastrous” had rather shaken him up.

A second beep from his miraculous made him sit up. “Mission accomplished,” he said with a grin as he offered Ladybug their customary fistbump.

She smiled, but it seemed a little… distracted.

Speaking of.

“Say,” Chat Noir began, “how did you get yourself tangled in tinsel anyway?” He grinned. “Is my lady the one out of it this week?”

Ladybug blushed and looked away. “Don’t worry your head about it, kitty. I was fine.”

“Well, _that_ is definitely true.” Chat Noir paused and was only a little disappointed that the flirty line didn’t have a Marinette effect. “I was just wondering if you had… something on your mind?” _I am angling, I am so going to out myself, this is such a dumb—_

She looked up sharply. “What could be on my mind?”

“Oh, um. I dunno.” He bit his lip. “You doing anything cool this week?” _You’re an idiot. A complete—_

Ladybug ducked her head and put way too much focus on recoiling her yo-yo. “Um,” she said.

Chat Noir’s eyes lit up. “Um?” he repeated, trying to keep the glee from his voice.

“Oh, shut up, kitty! I just… I…” Ladybug hooked her yo-yo around her waist and turned to face him, arms folded. “I have a date that I’m looking forward to. That’s all.”

Electricity skimmed over his entire body. “Ohhhhh? Do tell?”

“Ugh, there’s nothing to tell! Why do you want to know anyway?”

Something in her voice gave him pause. It was sort of… cautious. Chat Noir shrugged. “I am interested in my lady’s well-being. So what are you going to do on this date?” His ring beeped a third time.

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you, ah, be leaving about now?”

“In a minute, in a minute,” he said hurriedly. “What are you looking forward to about your date?”

“ _Why_ are you asking? Oh. Wait. Wait, wait.” Ladybug put her hands on her hips. “ _You_ know who I am. Right?” She narrowed her eyes. “Did you already know I had a date?”

 _Shit._ She was too sharp by half. Not that he was being in any way subtle. “Er,” was all he could think of to say.

“Ohmygod, Chat, if you sabotage my date, I am—” Ladybug pulled herself up to her full height, which was barely above his chin. It was cute. “We will have words.”

“Sabotage?” He blinked. The thought had never occurred to him. Probably because he was the one actually going on the date, but… she had a sort of point? Chat Noir destroyed things. It’s just kind of what he did.

“Oh. Hey.” Ladybug put a hand on his arm. She looked up at him, eyes wide. “Sorry. I’m sorry, that was really unfair of me. Of course you’d never—”

He backed away. Grinned. “No worries, my lady. You will have a fabulous date, I’m sure. I’ll tell you what—” He braced his staff against a concrete block and vaulted himself onto an awning. He turned to look down at her. “I’ll even have a word with the man in charge, okay?”

Her mouth fell open. “Wh-buh… Ch- _Chaaaatt!!_ ”

He was out of time. He could feel it. “Enjoy your date, princess!” Chat Noir zipped up the side of the building and was out of sight.

Just in time. He breathed a sigh of relief as Plagg released his hold over the ring on his right hand. Adrien sat cross-legged behind a monstrous air conditioner and let his heart slow to a normal pace.

“Cheese,” Plagg gasped. “Give me cheese!”

“In a bit,” Adrien said mildly. “Gotta wait till she’s far enough away.”

“Hmph.” Plagg settled on his knee. “You kept me waiting long enough, I must say. It was all I could do to hold on until you got up here.”

“Sorry about that. I just…” Adrien ran a hand through his hair. “I got nervous.”

“Nervous?”

“You heard the sabotage comment, yeah? What if that’s a real thing?”

Plagg was quiet. Which was alarming.

“Plagg?”

“Shush, I’m thinking.”

“You’re thinking?” Adrien repeated. “About whether or not Chat Noir is a personal risk to a girl he’s going on a date with?”

Plagg groaned. “Chat Noir is naturally destructive! You know this! You may think the black leather pantsuit is fun, but ta-da, you’ve also been given a healthy dose of a very real thing called bad luck, courtesy, me. Trust, I’ve been around myself for a very long time, and I can honestly say that—”

“Chat?”

Adrien and Plagg froze into one very panicked statute.

“Chat, I know… I know you’re up here.” Ladybug’s voice sounded unsure. Timid. More like Marinette. “And I know you’re probably back to normal now. So. I won’t come any closer.”

Adrien exhaled carefully.

“Unless you want me to.”

He sucked in a hard breath. _Shit!_

“... I guess that’s a no.” A shuffling noise indicated that Ladybug had sat down on the other side of the air conditioning unit. “You know, I have every right to just walk right around here and get a good look at your face once and for all. Or at least, I think I do,” she finished quietly.

Adrien stayed quiet. He didn’t know what he wanted, to be honest. _Yes, Ladybug, please come find out who I am._ But on the other hand. _I’d really, really like to go out on a date with Marinette. Just as Adrien. Just me._

“Anyway,” Ladybug continued with a sigh, “Two things. One, I’m really, really, very sorry about the sabotage remark. I don’t… know why I said that. You’d never do that, you’re my friend and my partner, and you’ve only ever supported me. So that was completely unfair of me.”

 _Wow._ Adrien was pretty confident he’d never received such an incredibly thorough apology before. From anyone. “It’s fine,” he whispered.

“Well. No. It’s not.” But her smile was practically audible. “But maybe we’ll let this one slide. And two… well. _Two_ …” She paused, her voice strained.

“Ladybug?” Adrien prompted.

She laughed. “Wow, that sounds so weird when I’m not, you know, wearing the costume.”

Adrien jerked his knees up to his chest. _Marinette?! Of_ course _it’s Marinette, you goldfish. It’s been Marinette, it’s_ always _Marinette._

“I just wanted to say that, if you’ve got questions about my date, you can ask.” She cleared her throat nervously. “You’re my friend. You can ask.”

Well, that. Certainly brought a torrent of very weird and mixed emotions. _Her friend?_ Which cemented the fact that Ladybug did not, in fact, have romantic aspirations about Chat Noir. Still. _Sigh._ But! Here was an unprecedented opportunity to make sure that the date would not, could not, in any way, be a failure. Probably.

Adrien leaned his head back against the air conditioner. “Why are you going out with this guy anyway?” He closed his eyes. Too straight-forward. Too invasive. Whatever. He’d gone from thinking Marinette didn’t like Adrien at all to realizing that Marinette might actually have a crush on Adrien to knowing that Ladybug still didn’t like Chat Noir. He _had_ to know what she was thinking, and this was probably an unfair way to go about it, but—

Marinette laughed. “I’m assuming you know who he is?”

Adrien grinned despite himself. “Answering a question with a question is against the rules.”

“So you do know him.” Her voice was sharp.

“We’re friends. Sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Marinette sighed. “How are you only sometimes friends with Adrien Agreste?”

Adrien’s eyes flew open. “Uh. He gets a little boring?”

She snorted. “Okay, well, maybe that’s why I’m going on a date with him and you’re not.”

Adrien cocked his head. What a… weird conversation. “Okay, so you’re going on a date with sometimes-boring-maybe-not Adrien. Do you know what you’re gonna do?”

“Mmm. Look at Christmas lights mostly, I think. Maybe some hot chocolate. Maybe it’ll snow if we’re lucky.”

Adrien opened his mouth so he could breathe easier. God, she sounded so _happy_. “Sounds kinda simple.”

“If it were any more complicated, I don’t think I could handle it.”

“...”

“I’m just so afraid I’m gonna mess something up, you know?”

It was Adrien’s turn to snort. “You? Ladybug? With good luck coming out of your ears?”

Marinette groaned. “I think that turns off as soon as I’m back to being Ma — myself.”

Adrien reflected on Marinette’s daily activity. Bumping into things, saying words wrong, locking herself in the bathroom to get away from him. Fine, maybe she didn’t always have good luck.

“But that’s okay,” she continued, “because Adrien will be there. Even if I’m a little weird — oh god, don’t let me be weird — he’ll be smooth as silk. No doubt.”

“No doubt,” Adrien choked. “What if, uh, what if he’s not? What if he’s more like, I dunno, me?”

“You?” Marinette sounded confused. “I don’t — what?”

“I mean,” he said quickly, “what if he gets stuff wrong or. Spills hot chocolate on you? What if it doesn’t snow? What if he makes a stupid joke? What if you… decide you don’t like him after all,” he added, his voice low.

Marinette laughed. “You’re afraid I’m not going to like another guy?”

Adrien sighed. “Not exactly,” he mumbled.

“You, kitty cat, are particularly down on yourself tonight,” Marinette said matter-of-factly. “My date with Adrien aside — which will be wonderful and I’m only slightly nervous, thank you very much — he has nothing to worry about if he acts like you. A little bit like you,” she said hurriedly. “I could frankly do without the puns.”

Adrien’s mouth gaped. _If Adrien acts like me, it’ll be fine? But no puns. No puns? Who doesn’t like puns? Ladybug doesn’t like my puns?!_

Plagg chose that moment to tug at his shirt collar. “Adrien?” he whispered. “Cheese? I’m dying here.”

“You’re five thousand years old,” Adrien hissed. “You’ve gone without cheese before.”

“I’m not used to it anymore! Camembert! Now!” Plagg threatened quietly.

Adrien stuffed Plagg in his shirt pocket and got to one knee. “You love my puns, milady,” he said, raising his voice. “No use denying it.”

“Adrien is allowed _one_ pun before I lose my shit,” Marinette promised.

“One? That’s hardly enough to show off a good sense of humor.”

“He’ll have to make do.”

“I’m going to tell him he can have three.”

“Chat.” Marinette’s voice sounded like she wanted to be fierce but was really just trying not to laugh.

“He’ll think up new ones. You’ll love them.” Adrien stood. “I’d appreciate it if you’d stay there for a minute or two, princess. I have to go feed an obnoxious cat.”

“No problem.” Marinette’s response was immediate. Honest.

Adrien bit his lip. “Just one more thing.” Plagg groaned.

“Mm?” Marinette hummed.

Adrien swallowed. “What do you want out of this date? What do you want to happen?”

Silence stretched on for several seconds. Adrien barely breathed. Even Plagg stayed quiet.

“I think,” Marinette began slowly, “I just want him to have fun being with me.” She paused. “Yeah. That’s what I want.”

Adrien tilted his head back to stare up at the fading twilight. There she was. All in one. Kind Marinette. Confident Ladybug. “Damn,” he whispered.

“Hm? You say something?”

“I said, yes, ma’am.” Adrien headed for the emergency staircase on the side of the building. This was always trickier without Plagg’s magic, but he’d be fine. “Can’t wait to hear about your date!”

A faraway “Bye, kitty cat!” carried him down the rusty steps.

* * *

“Thanks, Nathalie.” Adrien accepted the steaming mug through his cracked bedroom door.

“Just don’t tell your father I’m letting you have coffee this late,” she said tiredly. His dad’s assistant always sounded tired.

“Never,” he promised.

“You should really have your homework done by now anyway.”

“Definitely. I will _totally_ get better at that. I will get started right away.” Adrien edged the door closed a bit further.

Nathalie’s frown said she was unconvinced, but she turned on her heel and left.

Adrien shut the door with a sigh and climbed the stairs to his desk. His Mandarin suffered when he tried to do it this late, but it was either that or not hand it in at all tomorrow.

Plagg sat on his mousepad, licking the last bits of cheese off his tiny fingers.

“Feeling better?” Adrien teased. He opened his notebook.

“Much.” Plagg floated up and settled back down in the middle of the notebook.

“Plagg,” Adrien groaned. “I have a worksheet and forty-two audio reviews. Please.”

“Nathalie’s right. You should have gotten this done earlier.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t, so now I _really_ have to, so if you’ll move your butt—”

“You and I need to talk.”

Adrien stared at the little spirit sitting on his desk. “About?” he whispered hoarsely, dread pooling in his gut.

Plagg smiled, and it was not reassuring. “History.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My "chapters" for this lil fic are pretty short, but I'm having a lot of fun with this method. I write a couple thousand words in this, and then I write another couple thousand in another fic, and then back to this one. Seems to be helping me not burn out on either one!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette felt her own grin falter. Adrien was still… Adrien, and he was looking at her in a way she frankly didn’t know what to do with. “Um.” Dammit with the ums again! She tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced down into her lunchbox. “What, um, what are you… what’s on your mind?” WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND ARE YOU SERIOUS.
> 
> Adrien blew out a breath. “Why don’t you act like this around me all the time?”
> 
> Marinette’s eyes flew open wide. Her mouth fell open.
> 
> Adrien stared back at her.
> 
> “... Oops.”

Tikki paused with a piece of chocolate chip cookie halfway to her mouth. “You told him  _ what  _ now?”

Plagg gnawed moodily on a microscopic block of cheese. “You know. Our history.”

“Our history?” the little red spirit repeated. “Yours and mine… personally?”

“What help would that have been?” Plagg snorted. “The history of Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

“What, all of it?” Tikki asked, incredulous. “You kept the boy from his homework that long?”

“Just the important bits!” Plagg insisted. “I’m not completely unaware of the clock. Unlike some people,” he grumbled under his breath.

Tikki narrowed her eyes. “And those important bits would be…”

“Look, I just don’t want him to walk into this unaware, you know?” Plagg fidgeted. He had the distinct impression he was going to get yelled at. After all these years, he still could never pinpoint  _ why. _

“‘This?’ ‘This’ being a date between teenagers?”

“You know that’s not all it is!” Plagg squeaked. 

“It’s beyond us, Plagg.” Tikki waved a tiny hand. “Chat and Ladybug will always try to figure out how they belong together. Let these two enjoy their innocent little holiday festival. I doubt your boy will be able to get it together for anything beyond holding hands, anyway.”

Plagg glared. “That tone is completely uncalled for.”

“Come now. Chat never becomes truly suave until his late twenties, you know that. Ladybug always has to do all the work if they get together before that.”

Plagg resolved to teach Adrien a couple things immediately. For now, he changed the subject back to the pressing matter at hand. “We cannot ignore statistics. When Ladybug and Chat Noir become romantically entangled this young, their chances of a long-lasting partnership dwindle astronomically.”

Tikki pursed her lips, which was alarming. Plagg had expected another dismissive comment. “These two need to stay together as long as they can,” she said thoughtfully. “Hawkmoth is obnoxiously persistent this time. If Adrien and Marinette disband at this early stage—” She shook her head. “We can’t pass on the miraculous to a new Chat and Ladybug while he’s this powerful. It’s too dangerous.”

Plagg balked. “You’d… you’d take away the miraculous from Adrien and Marinette?”

“I just said we can’t afford to do that,” Tikki reminded him. 

“But… but they always give them up on their own!” Plagg’s mind was spinning. “What would that mean, to make them—”

“Will you stop panicking?” Tikki interrupted. “You’re right, you’re right, we don’t know what that would do. We can’t.”

“Right.” Plagg breathed a sigh of relief. “We can’t.”

“We just have to make sure they don’t ruin their partnership too early.”

“Um.” Plagg caught a note in Tikki’s voice that gave him pause. 

“Their date is this Friday, correct?” Tikki floated in midair, one leg crossed over the other. She swung her foot thoughtfully. 

“Tikki,” Plagg began nervously. “Tikki, now, wait. You know we have to leave it up to them. It never works if I—”

“I’m not talking about forcing them into a relationship,” Tikki assured him loftily. 

“Oh. Oh, good.”

"I’m talking about making sure their date is perfect.” Tikki had a disturbing gleam in her eye.

Plagg felt his ears flatten against his head. “Perfect?” he choked. “Tikki…  _ I’m  _ going to be there. I really think we should just count it a win if no one ends the night on fire.”

“Yes.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Quite.”

“... Tikki?”

“Sorry, sorry. Just wondering. What would happen if you weren’t there?”

Plagg’s whiskers stood straight out from his cheeks. “I beg your pardon?” 

“You don’t have to sound so aghast,” Tikki chided. “It would only be for a couple hours at the very most. Can you picture either of them able to withstand their own nervous energy that long?”

“What I can’t picture,” Plagg spluttered, “is sending Adrien off alone without me. Good heavens, Tikki!”

The little red kwami had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. “Right, right. Of course not.”

“Of  _ course  _ not.”

“What if we were both just a little bit of a distance away though?”

“Tikki!”

“I’m serious! You and I could follow just a little ways off. We’d never lose sight of them.”

Plagg folded his arms. “What benefit could that possibly have if you want them to have a perfect evening? You’re good luck! You should stick to them both like glue!”

“I was planning on sticking with you, you idiot,” Tikki retorted. “And anyway, if we’re both not directly on them, then maybe they’ll have a chance for a genuinely normal first date. Yeah? No bad luck/good luck pulling them apart.”

Plagg hated how Tikki could make utter nonsense sound logical. 

“If we’re not near them, they’ll have as good a chance as any,” she reiterated, her tone tempting.

“You said that,” Plagg snipped. He sighed. “How’s Marinette doing? Is she as nervous as Adrien?” It was a diversion, possibly a useless one, he knew. But he needed time to think.  _ Leave Adrien while he was awake? Not be with Adrien?  _

Tikki’s antennae twitched. “The entirety of her closet has been on her bedroom floor for two days.”

* * *

 

Plagg watched as Adrien tossed another jacket onto his floor. 

“Why is this so hard?” Adrien groaned. “I get dressed just fine every other day!”

Plagg cleared his throat. “Perhaps you should ask your father for help? Styling and design are, after all, his—”

“I am not asking Gabriel Agreste for advice on what to wear on a first date.” Adrien stopped him with a glare. “That would be, I don’t know, cheating or something.”

“Of course. Much better to spend the next three days stressing about it. I totally agree.”

“This is your damn fault, you know. All those stats. Who does that to someone before they even go on the date?”

Plagg coughed. “It was merely my intention to—”

“Twenty-five percent of relationships between Ladybug and Chat Noir end before they’re 18?” Adrien pressed. “Sixty-two percent chance that Ladybug marries someone else?  _ Eighteen percent  _ chance that Chat Noir never has a relationship longer than three months? Ever? With  _ anyone?!" _

“Eighteen point six, actually.”

Adrien practically had steam coming out his ears. “And you thought this was helpful for me to know  _ why?  _ Thanks, Plagg, it’s not like there was any pressure at all beforehand!”

“I just don’t… I don’t want you to be hurt,” Plagg said quietly. 

Adrien went still, staring at him.

“How many of those things do you think I’ve seen firsthand?” Plagg went on. “I’ve been there for every last one of them — every broken relationship, every partnership that ended due to sheer bad luck, every missed opportunity, and I can tell you that Chat Noir’s life is  _ so much  _ easier when...” He stopped. 

“When?” Adrien prompted, stepping closer to where Plagg floated midair. 

Plagg grimaced and half turned away from him. “Well. The times you never find out… or when you decide Ladybug isn’t what you want… You’re never hurt as badly.”

The silence stretched on long enough that Plagg sneaked a look at Adrien. The boy was blinking. Slowly. 

“Wait,” Adrien began. “Wait. You… don’t want me to go on a date with Ladybug… because you’re scared?”

“I’m not scared!” Plagg bit out, perhaps too quickly. “But statistics show—”

“You need to take a stats class,” Adrien said. He tugged one of Plagg’s massive ears and turned back to his closet. “That’s not how odds work.”

“Excuse  _ me," _ Plagg huffed. “I am well acquainted with—” 

“I’ve never been Chat Noir before,” Adrien interrupted, holding up a sweater. “And Marinette’s never been Ladybug.”

Plagg waited for a moment. “And your point is?”

“My point is—” Adrien turned around, draping the sweater over his chest. “—Chat Noir and Ladybug start over from scratch each time. Both of us are entirely new variables. You can’t count on us to follow any pattern at all. What do you think, is blue my color?”

“I don’t know. We should pick out something that will complement your plethoric education.” But the jab was mostly reflex. Plagg twisted a whisker, thinking.

* * *

 

“What are you doing?”

Marinette paused in the midst of seating herself on a bench across from Alya. “Eating lunch?”

Alya looked up at her over her glasses. “Here?” she asked, in a tone that implied Marinette was in the process of doing something very stupid.

“Uh.” Marinette glanced around the lunchroom. “It’s too cold to eat outside?” She sat down.

“No. No. Babe.” Alya leaned forward. “Why are you eating with me?”

Marinette watched her blankly. “Uh. I don’t—”

“Don’t you have a date in a couple days?” Alya glanced meaningfully toward a table on the other side of the room.

Marinette squeaked and refused to turn around. “Alya! It is  _ one  _ date! We aren’t… we’re not  _ dating." _

Alya folded her arms. “Adrien asked you out. I doubt it’s because he doesn’t want your company.”

“I’m not just going to walk over there and—”

“And what?” Alya cocked her head. “You’re not planning on taking him right on the table, are you?”

_ "Alya!" _Marinette hissed. “Will you _ shut up!" _

“Marinette, love.” Alya sighed. “It’s okay to be scared, but—”

“I am not scared!” Marinette tried to sound scathing. 

Alya gave her a look.

“Oh yeah?” Marinette knew she was being led by the nose, she  _ knew  _ it, and was helpless to do anything about it. “Yeah? Right. Well. Right.” She picked up her lunchbox and marched away from the table.

But then she saw that incredible, gorgeous blonde hair across the room. And those delicious shoulders. And that…

Nino caught her eye. It was a mercy she didn’t drop her lunchbox immediately. His eyes lit up, and he gestured her over.

Marinette froze.  _ Shit. Shit shit shit.  _

Adrien turned around in his seat. He looked surprised to see her standing in the middle of the lunch hall, but his smile was undoubtedly pleased. That stunningly unfair Agreste smile.

_ SHIT.  _

Somehow. Somehow, her feet managed to move her forward. Which would be worse — sitting next to Adrien? Sitting across from him?

“What, Alya’s not coming with you?” Nino said before Marinette could act on either option. “Well, now she’s all alone, not cool. Take my seat.” He stood, grabbed his tray, and left.

_ Well. That solves that.  _ Marinette slid onto the bench across from Adrien. She hazarded a glance at the insanely attractive boy and blinked.

Adrien was glaring after Nino. Marinette wilted.  _ I knew it. I knew it, crap, this was not a good idea, when am I ever going to tell Alya no— _

“Wow, could he be any more obvious, huh?” Adrien turned back to her with a smile. 

“Uh… um?”  _ Stop it, Marinette, please please be able to put sentences together. _

“Tell me, I promise I won’t pass it on. Does Alya have any kind of feeling for Nino?” Adrien leaned forward conspiratorially. Marinette felt like passing out. Those goddamn green eyes were going to kill her.

“Nino? Um…” Marinette tried hard to think about the actual question. People had conversation by paying attention, that was how it worked. “She’s never, ah, said anything to me about… him. Um.”  _ Work on the ums, girl, come on.  _

“Really?” Adrien sighed heavily. “Poor Nino. She would definitely tell you, right? If she did?”

To be honest, Alya seemed too caught up in tracking Ladybug to have much interest in dating. “She… probably would?” Marinette sipped from her water bottle thoughtfully. “I don’t know how interested she is in guys, actually.”

Adrien’s eyebrows went into his hairline.

Marinette replayed her last sentence in her mind. “Oh. No! That’s not what I… well, to be honest, I don’t  _ know —  _ I don’t  _ not  _ know either! — Alya’s... preferences… oh god.” Marinette buried her face in her hands.

Adrien laughed.

It was beautiful. Marinette peeked through her fingers. He sounded happy, no, fucking delighted. His head was thrown back, his arm was wrapped around his stomach, and  _ she had made him laugh.  _ Even though it was probably because she was Queen of the Dorks, but she could work with that.

“Well, I guess either way Nino’s on his own.” Adrien was still giggling to himself as he picked up his sandwich. He looked up at her, and the sandwich paused halfway to his mouth. Gorgeous green eyes went wide, and his beautiful skin went a little pink.

Marinette allowed herself the softest sigh.  _ How are you so pretty? _

“Um…” he said softly. “Marinette?”

“Mm?” she hummed. This was nice. He was nice. 

Adrien didn’t say anything else. He just watched her, eyes huge, mouth a little open, and —  _ his mouth is nice _ ...

The thought startled her out of,  _ oh god, _ whatever she’d been doing. What had she been doing?! Marinette coughed and sat up straight, opening her lunchbox with a _ clang!  _

_ Say something! Anything! Tell him you’re Ladybug! ANYTHING. _

“So!” Marinette busied herself with the contents of her lunchbox. “Aha, Friday, right?”  _ Ohmigod, ohmigod, that’s right, bring all the attention back to you and him and dating and relationships and AUGH— _

Adrien took a moment before answering, and Marinette couldn’t bring herself to look up from her lunch. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “Yeah. It’ll be great.”

She glanced up then, knowing her shoulders were still hunched around her ears. 

“We’ll have fun,” Adrien went on. He nodded his head, as though he were convincing himself. Which Marinette wasn’t entirely sure what to do with, but then he smiled to himself. “We’ll both be there. And we’re both pretty cool.”

Marinette cocked her head. It was a somewhat bizarre pep talk.

“We’ll be fine,” Adrien said with a finality that made her blink. “We’re used to dealing with much worse—” And then apparently it was his turn to reflect in horror. “Uh! I mean—?”

It was such a relief, honestly. Marinette felt her lip curl into a smirk she’d usually never be able to manage in front of Adrien Agreste. She could feel the nerves pulsing off of him in waves, and it was such a goddamn comfort.

“Ah, yes,” she intoned. “I am used to dealing with  _ so  _ much worse than going out and looking at Christmas lights with a beautiful blonde.” 

Adrien’s head snapped up, and Marinette wanted to bite off her tongue. Almost. Whatever! She met his gaze somewhat defiantly. They were going on a date! It stood to reason that he would know she thought he was at least a little bit attractive! 

A slow grin crossed Adrien’s face. “Wow.” He leaned forward on his elbows. “Your life sounds terrible.”

“So terrible,” Marinette agreed with a heavy sigh, spearing a tomato wedge from her salad.  _ This is easy? Oh my god, this is easy!  _

“I mean, I kind of feel bad,” Adrien purred. “What kind of a guy makes a girl go out on a cold night in December for their first date?”

“Oh, I never said he was  _ nice." _ Marinette widened her eyes innocently. 

“You’re only in it for the looks, huh?” Adrien’s grin was nearly splitting his face. 

“No.” She flashed him a smile. “He’s going to buy me hot chocolate.”

Adrien choked on a laugh. He didn’t respond. Just looked back at her with that beautiful,  _ happy  _ smile. For several seconds. 

Marinette felt her own grin falter. Adrien was still…  _ Adrien, _ and he was looking at her in a way she frankly didn’t know what to do with. “Um.” _ Dammit with the ums again!  _ She tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced down into her lunchbox. “What, um, what are you… what’s on your mind?”  _ WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND ARE YOU SERIOUS. _

Adrien blew out a breath.  “Why don’t you act like this around me all the time?”

Marinette’s eyes flew open wide. Her mouth fell open.

Adrien stared back at her.

“... Oops.”

* * *

 

_ "Oops?!" _ Plagg shrieked. 

“Augh!” Adrien shielded himself from tiny paws beating at his forehead. “It was an accident! It just slipped out!’

“Yeah, well, you are so lucky that Marinette didn’t pick up on the fact that you said that to her before when you were wearing black leather!”

“It didn’t even cross her mind! And what are you doing, you shouldn’t be out of the bag, we’re at school!”

Plagg glared at him before retreating into Adrien’s schoolbag. Angry green eyes peeked out from its depths. “You don’t know it didn’t cross her mind,” he mumbled. 

“She was just being Marinette!” Adrien defended himself. He scowled at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. “Going all shy with compliments and stuff!” Except she hadn’t been shy the whole time. At one point, she’d looked at him like she could eat him with a spoon, and he really, really wanted to see that again.

“But you weren’t complimenting her, were you? You were holding a neon light over your head, shouting that you were Chat Noir!”

“Look, if she hasn’t made the connection by now, that one phrase was not enough to do it.” Adrien inhaled deeply.  _ Right. Right, there’s no way.  _ He bit his lip.

Marinette had stared at him for several speechless moments. It had been agonizing. Finally,  _ finally,  _ he had thought to laugh and say something like he hadn’t meant to make her feel self-conscious about how they’d interacted before and that it was fine and he was happy they could talk now. He’d probably babbled, to be honest.

Marinette had offered him a weak smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Me… me too,” she’d whispered. 

He’d tried to recover, tried to get her to talk about their date in a couple days. But then — Adrien groaned and bowed his head over the sink. He’d had to say something about how nice it would be to walk around Paris at night with her,  _ thinking it would be a smooth thing to say,  _ and Marinette had gotten that same deer-in-the-headlights look again.  _Gah,_ and he'd said that thing about how they were both used to dealing with a lot worse...

Plagg was right.

It was like he was shouting for her to notice who he was.

But he wanted her to, right? There was no real reason she couldn’t know. He knew she was Ladybug, turnabout was fair play, and so on. Yes? And all he’d really wanted out of her as Marinette was for her to be able to talk with him like a normal human being. So. Mission accomplished.

Except. Well. Damn it.

Adrien  _ really  _ wanted to go on a date without Chat Noir in the background. He wanted Marinette to look at him like that again, just one more time before she put all of his pieces together and decided she didn’t, in fact, want him all that much thanks.

“I’ll tell her later,” he whispered. “After.”

Plagg popped his head out of the schoolbag. “What? Why? Are you sure?”

Why? Adrien didn’t exactly know. Except that it felt  _ wrong  _ not to. “It’s not fair that I know and she doesn’t,” he thought out loud. “And I want her to trust me. And I want her to—”  _ like me. I want Ladybug and Marinette both to like me. All of me. Dammit, I want that. And if she doesn’t. If she won’t. Then. Then I need to know sooner rather than later. But maybe a little bit later.  _

Plagg was quiet for a while. “Well. I hope your date goes well.”

Adrien glanced down at his schoolbag. “Plagg?”

“Let me tell you this now. So you can get used to the idea. I’m not going.” 

Adrien sucked in a breath. “What… what does that mean? You’re always with—”

“You don’t need me on a date. I’m sure you can figure out why.”

“Plagg, what — you’re acting like you’re some kind of, I don’t know, bad luck charm for crying out loud.” Adrien tried to laugh, but he knew it sounded weird. “Don’t be like this.”

Plagg shot him a look that was older than dirt.

“But.” Adrien felt panic rise in his gut. This should be fine. He hadn't always had Plagg around, why was this a problem now? “What if someone needs Chat Noir?”

“I’m sure Paris will be fine for a couple hours.” Plagg pretended to examine a mechanical pencil in Adrien’s bag.

“You can’t know that.”

“Paris will not fall because two stupid teenagers decide to cuddle underneath Christmas lights for an evening!” Plagg whisper-shouted.

“Okay, A) neither of us are stupid,” Adrien retorted. “And B)...” He swallowed. “Do you… do you think we’ll cuddle?”

Plagg burrowed deeply into his schoolbag and refused to come out for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is well-versed in statistics, please just... bear with me. Just immerse yourself in this little universe, have a drink, and imagine me whispering softly to you how it doesn't matter, really, that this one author got the concept of stats horribly, horribly wrong. This has been a public service announcement.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But it’s almost like some people have connections or something,” he pressed.
> 
> “Connections? To luck?”
> 
> “Now you, you might have an in with good luck, right?” He held her gaze, talking fast. “Me, I’m… I’m the opposite.”
> 
> “You’re the opposite. Of me.” It was not a question.
> 
> Adrien held his breath.
> 
> “You silly cat,” Marinette whispered.

Adrien wrapped his light blue scarf around his neck, even though it was  _ just  _ a little too light for a December evening. Hey, it was kind of like a good luck charm, okay? The one gift his dad ever gave him that made any sense at all. 

That over a navy blue peacoat, some slim canvas pants, and some boots, and voila. Adrien gave himself a once-over in his mirror. He wasn't completely hopeless without a stylist. And hair dresser and makeup and key lighting. 

“Stop —” Plagg swatted at his hand. “— messing with your hair. You’re fine.”

“And you’re still not coming with me?” Adrien wished he didn’t sound quite so nervous. It shouldn’t feel so much like he was leaving his babysitter at home. 

Plagg sniffed. “I have better things to do than watch you fail miserably at holding hands with Marinette.”

_ “_What _— what the hell, Plagg?!”_

* * *

 

“I can’t believe I don’t have anything better to do than watch Adrien fail miserably at holding hands with Marinette,” Plagg grumbled.

Tikki giggled from their vantage point in a shop’s holiday wreath. “Well. It’s not  _ entirely  _ his fault.” 

Plagg watched the young couple walking several yards in front of them. Twinkling lights all around, steam from various food stalls, and yes, even a sugary dusting of  _ snow_, and neither kid could get their shit together enough to so much as bump shoulders. 

“Youth is wasted on the wrong people,” he growled.

“You stole that,” Tikki said without any real judgment.

“He could at least buy her a hot chocolate,” Plagg complained. “She told him she wanted some — twice! As Ladybug  _ and  _ as Marinette! Hand her a drink and boom, perfectly good chance to hold her hand, there you go.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to.”

“Doesn’t  _want_ to?” Plagg stared at Tikki. “The boy has done nothing but scheme up one ludicrous scenario after another as an _ excuse_. If he doesn’t by the end of the night, I am absolutely handing my ring over to someone else, I swear it.” 

“This must be so frustrating for you when you’re so good at courtship.”

“... I’m! I’m perfectly adequate at—!”

“Shush, they’re walking over to the skating rink.” Tikki pushed off from the wreath. “We should get closer.”

“You said we should stay at a distance,” Plagg reminded her.

“We have to stay close in case they need to transform, don’t be silly.”

“But you said there wasn’t any chance of that happening if we both stayed away from them. No bad luck, good luck, pushing, pulling sort of thing.” Plagg floated after her, biting on his tiny claws. It was a bad habit. It mostly surfaced when he was around  _ her_, dammit. 

Tikki ignored him as she lit on a string of lights over the skating rink. She watched Marinette shake her head shyly as Adrien gestured to the ice. The girl  _ did  _ grab his arm though and pull him toward a food vendor. “Good girl,” Tikki whispered, pleased. 

“Tikki…” Plagg whined.

“We’re right here,” she said with a sigh, not taking her eyes off the young couple. “It’s fine.”

* * *

 

Adrien was trying not to swallow his tongue. Marinette’s fingers were tight around his arm, and her gaze was focused on the line in front of them at the food stall.

He hazarded a glance down at her. Her cheeks were bright pink, but that could probably be from the cold, right?  _ Ohmigod, just flirt, why can’t you?  _ Adrien pressed his lips together. Plagg had attempted to give him some rather unhelpful tips last night, but… 

“Um.”  _ Brilliant, yes, great opening line.  _ He cleared his throat. “Looks like they have different kinds of cocoa. You like peppermint? Vanilla cream?”  _ Good god, why don’t you talk about the weather next? _

Marinette rubbed her pink gloves together, eyes sparkling as they waited in line. “I always get Mexican hot chocolate if it’s an option. Chili pepper with  _ dark  _ chocolate, of course, and I really hope they have cinnamon sticks because that just—” She glanced up at him suddenly. “Ah. Ahaha. It’s. Um. Kind of good?” Her smile slid off her face.

Adrien grinned. “The lady likes things spicy?” 

Marinette raised an eyebrow. And then laughed. Hard.  

Adrien felt his face go up in flames. He was going to kill Plagg. Five-thousand-year-old spirit or no, he would find a way. 

Marinette laid a hand on his arm, wiping tears away with the other. “They don’t give models flirting lessons, I guess? That was _terrible_.” Amazingly, unbelievably, her hand slid down his sleeve, and Adrien felt delicate fingers intertwine with his. “I loved it,” she added, still giggling.

Adrien’s thoughts could have been illustrated with TV static and a series of question marks and exclamation points.  _ That worked?  _ Wow, if tripping over stupid pickup lines was what did it for Marinette, this… could be okay! He straightened, allowing himself a cautious grin. 

Which might have faltered a little when the guy behind the food stall couldn’t stop checking her out.  _ Oh, come on, man, are you kidding me? _ But Adrien tried to be satisfied with just catching the guy’s eye and raising an eyebrow. Marinette did look pretty cute after all, in some kind of dressy pink coat that flared at her waist.  _ Probably made it herself too.  _ Damn, she was cool.

“The Mexican hot chocolate please,” Marinette said. Her eyes were huge as she clutched the counter. 

“Something spicy for the lady.” The cocoa guy winked at her. “And you, man? Can you keep up?”

“The vanilla for me,” Adrien said, daring him to say anything. 

Marinette glanced at him as they walked away from the vendor. “Do you not like spicy food?”

“Pfff.” Adrien tugged at his scarf. “I can eat anything.”

“Oh, well, then, you have to try this.” She shoved her paper cup underneath his nose. “It’s to die for, I promise!”

Adrien could smell the chili pepper immediately. “Um… s-sure.”

Marinette gave a happy sigh. “I’m so glad you ordered something different. I love sharing food.”

Adrien stared at her over the lip of the paper cup. Oh good god, he was  _ sharing a drink with Ladybug.  _ He drew in a sharp breath.

Which was a mistake.

Anyone who’s ever deeply inhaled cinnamon  _ knows_. 

He disintegrated into a fit of ugly, hacking coughs. Dear god,  _ this  _ was the drink she’d been positively vibrating for? He could hear Marinette’s nervous squeaking as she guided him to a bench. 

“Can you see?” she fretted, dabbing at his red eyes with an honest-to-god handkerchief. “Maybe have some more of your vanilla cocoa, that might stop the burning?”

Adrien wanted to say something clever, but he’d already proven that wasn’t his thing. He gulped half of his drink and sighed in relief as the thick, rich chocolate coated his throat. He cracked open one eye. “Sorry,” he rasped, trying to smile through his unraveling dignity.

Marinette was kneeling in front of him on the freezing sidewalk, one hand clutching her handkerchief, the other gripping the offending spicy chocolate. Her eyes were enormous. And… and really,  _ really  _ close. 

She breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s so nice of you to apologize for how I nearly killed you with my drink.” 

Adrien tried to swallow one last cough. “I think we can just blame my bad luck instead.”

His eyes widened. Marinette went still.

_ No. No, that’s a really common thing to say. No, there’s no  _ way  _ she could think—  _

“You?” Marinette got to her feet with a light laugh. She slid next to him on the bench. He wouldn’t have hated it if she’d gotten closer. “Adrien Agreste, model, top student, has bad luck?” She watched the Christmas lights in the shop windows across the street with too much interest.

_ O-kaaay.  _ He tried to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. “Well. Well, sure it sounds ridiculous if you put it like that. And it’s not like I’m, you know, completely made of bad luck.”  _ What am I doing. What am I DOING, Plagg is going to kill me. _

“Mm.” Marinette sipped her cocoa, still looking straight ahead. “Probably only half of you, right?”

Adrien gulped.

She tilted her face to look up into the twinkling lights twisted through the branches above them. “Well, that’s probably not something you let just everybody see,” she went on. “Probably have to keep up the Agreste image pretty hard, I guess.”

He watched her. He could feel the sparks in the air from the coded questions. “Yeah,” he agreed, taking care with his words. “Yeah, it’s definitely easy to let that slip. Sometimes.” It wasn’t enough. He could tell that she knew, she  _ knew,  _ but it wasn’t enough, and she couldn’t be sure, and he wanted her to be sure, and so—

“Would be nice to be lucky all the time instead, yeah?” Adrien leaned back on his hands. The cement bench was cold through his (Agreste-brand) gloves. 

Marinette whipped her head around to lock eyes with him. He’d never seen such a look on her face — there was no shy Marinette here. No completely-in-control Ladybug either. “No one’s lucky all the time,” she whispered.

“But it’s almost like some people have connections or something,” he pressed. 

“Connections? To luck?”

“Now you, you might have an in with good luck, right?” He held her gaze, talking fast. “Me, I’m… I’m the opposite.”

“You’re the opposite. Of me.” It was not a question.

Adrien held his breath.

“You silly cat,” Marinette whispered.

He exhaled. “Yeah.”

He watched her throat as she swallowed and looked out at the lights again. “Well. Hi.” She said it quietly.

“Hi.” And because he thought it was time, he added, “My lady.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, and it was  _ so  _ Ladybug, but Adrien was still too terrified to grin. “I get to hear that all the time now, huh?” she asked. A smirk tilted her mouth.

He didn’t want to talk about how it would be now. Four people smushed into two with only so much room for crushes and friendship. Much better to talk about, “When did you figure it out?”

Her hot chocolate had to be cold by now, but she still drank it. “You haven’t exactly been subtle since you told me you knew who I was.”

“What, really?”  _ Dammit.  _ Adrien had known he’d missed a couple steps, but they shouldn’t have added up to her figuring it out. Probably. 

“You talk the same. Chat and Adrien were sounding more and more alike.” She shot him a look. “You should work on that if you don’t want anyone else picking up on it.”

“I don’t spend time with anyone else the way I do with you,” Adrien retorted. “It’s not like Chat Noir hangs out with people.”

Marinette punched his shoulder softly, and Adrien felt his heart twinge. That was too Ladybug and Chat. No starry-eyed crush in that gesture. “But you’ve already started acting like Chat in school,” she said. “Is that what you want?” 

The question gave him pause. Would that be so bad? Totally with it, totally together, totally studious… what if he just wasn’t anymore?

“If I act more like Chat…” he began slowly. “Does that mean Marinette starts acting more Ladybug? Wouldn’t hurt you to speak your mind a bit more, you know.”

Her eyes flashed. “Wow. You want me to start right now?”

“You could start with why you liked Adrien and not Chat Noir.”  _ Augh, no, why would you ever ask that, STOP.  _ But he clenched his jaw, waiting.

Marinette’s cheeks were bright red. “How — you shouldn’t — _you_ were the one who asked me out!”

“I asked you out as Chat Noir too, and you never said yes.”

“I… Ladybug is… well, well, you asked  _ Ladybug  _ out as Chat Noir!” she managed. “You can’t give me any kind of crap for having a crush on Adrien when you were only into the other half of me yourself!”

“So you  _ do  _ have a crush on me.” Adrien’s grin was nothing short of shit-eating. 

Marinette shot off the bench and loomed over him, hands on hips. “Adrien Agreste, if you think that being cute is going to help you—”

He leaned forward, daring her to back away. “You think I’m cute?”

He wouldn’t have thought it possible for Marinette to blush any harder, but she was managing. He opened his mouth to give her more crap — it was just too easy, whether he was in or out of cat ears — when she grabbed the back of his blonde head and yanked. 

“Very,” she said, her voice threatening and low. 

Adrien stared up at her, his head back awkwardly, hands glued to the bench.  _ Ohshitohshitohshit, is she going to — holy what, she’s going to KISS M— _

But at the last moment, her cheeks still glowing in the dark, Marinette pecked his cheek. The most harmless, butterfly-soft brush of lips. She backed away immediately, dropping her hand from his hair. She grabbed her empty paper cup and walked hurriedly to the nearest trash can.

“What. What, what, _what_ you don’t get to just… walk  _ away  _ after that!” Adrien spluttered. He scrambled off the bench and was behind her in two seconds.

Marinette wasn’t turning around. Frankly, he wasn’t certain he knew how to face her. She’d nearly kissed him,  _ really  _ kissed him. It was such a heady mix of Ladybug and Marinette that Adrien didn’t have any idea which way was up anymore. He settled for a breathless, “What was _that_?”

“ _Ugh._ ” Marinette buried her face in her gloves. “This… is going to take some getting used to.”

Adrien blinked, then laughed. “A little. Maybe.”

She turned around. Looked up at him with pursed lips and crossed arms. “Kind of a weird date, kitty.”

“You think so?” he asked, a touch nervous. “I mean, I can see why you’d say that, but I really sort of thought—”

A shriek ripped through the cold night air, and Adrien and Marinette grabbed for each other.

“What the—!”

“Did you hear—?”

A Christmas tree-topper angel, the size of a two-story building, lurched down the street, ripping off strings of lights from trees and posts as it went. Enormous wings crushed awnings, a plastic hand smashed windows, and a painted mouth opened wide to shriek, “‘Tis the season, HEARTBREAKERS! Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

The angel heaved itself closer to the skating rink, cackling all the way. “Heartbreakers!” the angel continued to scream, pointing at a couple holding each other tightly on the ice. A wave of a plastic hand, a _pop!_ , and the two skaters transformed into two glass holiday ornaments, rolling on the ice.

“ _What_ do you think you two are doing?!”

Adrien dragged his attention from the skating rink, his arms still wrapped around Marinette, to focus on Tikki and Plagg flying toward them.

“Plagg!” Never mind a scorned tree-topper wreaking havoc on the neighborhood, Adrien couldn’t stop his huge grin. “Have you been following us?!”

“I  _ knew  _ that story about feeling bad was crap.” Marinette narrowed her eyes at Tikki. “Can kwamis even get sick?”

“Who cares about that now?” Tikki scolded. “Are you  _ aware  _ you’ve got a house-sized akuma blundering around behind you?! Transform! Now!”

“What,  _ here?_” Marinette choked. 

Adrien caught her eye and grinned shamelessly. “Aw, what’s there to hide now, my lady?”

“Well,  _ well_,” she spluttered. “There’s such a thing as getting used to an idea gradually!” 

He grabbed her hand and pointed his other fist at the sky. “Plagg! Transform!”

Marinette gaped at him as he felt Chat Noir’s magic sweep over him from head to toe. He smirked behind his mask, and it was too easy to wink at her like he always did. “What if I promised not to look?”

She flushed, and Adrien forgot about the akumatized angel. He forgot that Tikki was still tapping her little red foot angrily in thin air. He forgot he was Chat Noir. All he knew was that _here_ was Marinette’s wide-eyed, tiny smile. Here she was, looking at  _ him  _ like  _ that_. 

His heart sped up before he registered what was happening. She rested her free hand on his shoulder. Stood on her tiptoes. Adrien just managed to tilt his head to one side for the best angle as she kissed him. 

She tasted like hot chocolate with chili pepper. 

If this was what that damn drink was supposed to taste like.

Then.

Sign him up for a gallon. 

“Oh, _now_ you do this?!”

Adrien opened one eye to catch Tikki hovering above them. “We don’t have time for this, like  _ at all_! Akuma at two o’clock, let’s go, go, go!” 

Marinette broke off the kiss ( _boo_ ). “Okay, all right, yes, wow. Tikki!” She brushed her hair back from her earrings. “Transform me!”

Adrien dropped Marinette’s…  _ Ladybug’s _ hand as golden glitter covered her. He stepped back, watching her transform for the second time in his life. Her black hair spiraled around her, and that familiar red mask settled over his favorite blue eyes.

_ I don’t think. _

_ I’ll  _ ever  _ get used to this. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all, folks! It was either end it here or strive to get plotty, and that's never been what this stupid cute lil thing was about. Feel free to come yell at me on Tumblr about it if you so choose!
> 
> And hey, thanks for the ride, ML fandom. You guys are stupidly talented, and I madly appreciate every single one of you.

**Author's Note:**

> [@codango](http://codango.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr
> 
> [Marcella Christie](http://marcellachristie.com/) for my alter ego


End file.
